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Rehabilitation Counsellor salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for a rehabilitation counsellor is $85,800 per annum, before tax, up $17,700 since 2018.
DerivedIndicative estimate, not yet verified against official Jobs and Skills Australia / ABS data · Estimate
- Pay moves most with the funding stream, because insurer-funded return-to-work providers, government departments and community organisations each set their own bands, and roles approved under Comcare or a state workers' compensation scheme sit differently from community sector work.
- Experience with complex claims, and the ability to carry a full caseload without close supervision, tends to move you up within a provider.
The median salary rose by $17,700 between 2018 and 2024; the dashed line shows a projection to 2028 based on the real ABS Wage Price Index growth rate, not a role-specific forecast.
Roles that pay more than rehabilitation counsellor
The largest typical pay rise is $5,200 a year, moving into Workplace Rehabilitation Consultant.
- Workplace Rehabilitation Consultant+$5,200/yr
- Psychotherapist+$2,600/yr
How to negotiate a higher rehabilitation counsellor salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time rehabilitation counsellor salary is $85,800; use that, not a guess, as your anchor, and adjust for your experience and employer.
- Use demand as leverage. Rehabilitation Counsellors 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 Counselling and support work and Rehabilitation and therapy tend to command a premium over general rehabilitation counsellor experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Bring a real alternative to the table. Workplace Rehabilitation Consultant pays a typical $5,200 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."
Rehabilitation Counsellor salary questions
How much do rehabilitation counsellors earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for a rehabilitation counsellor is $85,800 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is rehabilitation counsellor pay rising or falling?
The median rehabilitation counsellor salary is up $17,700 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
What pays more than rehabilitation counsellor?
Workplace Rehabilitation Consultant pays a typical $5,200 a year more and draws on similar skills to rehabilitation counsellor.
Related salaries
- Workplace Rehabilitation Consultant salary
- Employment Consultant salary
- Psychotherapist salary
- Family and Relationship Counsellor salary
- Mental Health Worker salary
- Clinical Psychologist salary
Pay advice
- How to ask for a pay rise, and back it up with real numbersWhat national wage growth looks like right now, how to work out a figure for your own role, wording you can adapt for the conversation, and what to do if the answer is no.
- The average salary in Australia (2026)Full-time adults in Australia averaged $2,083.70 a week in May 2026. Several measures get called the average salary, and this explains which one fits your situation.
- Overtime pay, time in lieu and what your award saysOvertime rates come from your award or agreement, not one national rule. How rates work, what happens on a salary, and how time off in lieu works.