Midwife salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for a midwife is $109,900 per annum, before tax, up $22,600 since 2018.
Public hospital midwives are paid under state and territory enterprise agreements, so the figure shifts depending on where you work and which classification level you sit at. Shift work, night duty, on-call and weekend penalties add a meaningful amount on top of the base rate, and rural or remote incentives can push it higher again. Privately practising midwives and those on caseload contracts earn differently, often without the same penalty structure.
Roles that pay more than midwife
The largest typical pay rise is $28,300 a year, moving into Nurse Manager.
- Nurse Manager+$28,300/yr
- Director of Nursing+$25,300/yr
- Registered Nurse+$4,100/yr
How to negotiate a higher midwife salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time midwife salary is $109,900; use that, not a guess, as your anchor, and adjust for your experience and employer.
- Use demand as leverage. Midwifes are on the national skills shortage list, so employers are more likely to move on price to keep or attract someone in a role they're struggling to fill.
- Lead with what's scarce, not just tenure. Skills like Clinical assessment and treatment and Patient care and support tend to command a premium over general midwife experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Bring a real alternative to the table. Nurse Manager pays a typical $28,300 a year more and draws on similar skills, even mentioning you're weighing it up is a legitimate data point in a pay conversation.
- Time it deliberately. Reviews, the end of a project you delivered, or taking on responsibility beyond your job description are stronger moments to ask than an arbitrary date on the calendar.
- Ask for a number, not a raise. "Based on the market rate and [specific contribution], I'd like to move to X" gets a clearer answer than "I think I deserve more."
Midwife salary questions
How much do midwifes earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for a midwife is $109,900 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is midwife pay rising or falling?
The median midwife salary is up $22,600 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
What pays more than midwife?
Nurse Manager pays a typical $28,300 a year more and draws on similar skills to midwife.