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Occupational Health Nurse salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for an occupational health nurse is $106,600 per annum, before tax, up $22,200 since 2018.
Sector moves the figure more than anything else, with nurses on mine sites and in resources, often on fly-in fly-out rosters, earning well above those in community health, aged care or public administration. Enterprise agreements, penalty rates and shift arrangements shift it again. A postgraduate qualification in occupational health, or responsibility for a site's whole surveillance program, will put you higher in the range.
Roles that pay more than occupational health nurse
The largest typical pay rise is $31,600 a year, moving into Nurse Manager.
- Nurse Manager+$31,600/yr
- Director of Nursing+$28,600/yr
- Nurse Practitioner+$7,400/yr
How to negotiate a higher occupational health nurse salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time occupational health nurse salary is $106,600; use that, not a guess, as your anchor, and adjust for your experience and employer.
- Use demand as leverage. Occupational Health Nurses 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 occupational health nurse experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Bring a real alternative to the table. Nurse Manager pays a typical $31,600 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."
Occupational Health Nurse salary questions
How much do occupational health nurses earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for an occupational health nurse is $106,600 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is occupational health nurse pay rising or falling?
The median occupational health nurse salary is up $22,200 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
What pays more than occupational health nurse?
Nurse Manager pays a typical $31,600 a year more and draws on similar skills to occupational health nurse.