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Respiratory Physician salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for a respiratory physician is $203,800 per annum, before tax, up $43,100 since 2018.
Specialists in public hospitals are paid on state enterprise agreement scales, so pay moves with your years of service and the state or territory you work in. Private consulting and procedural work can lift earnings above the public scale, but income there depends on how many patients you see and how much of your week you commit to private rooms. Respiratory physicians who combine public sessions with private practice, research or a university appointment usually draw income from more than one source.
How to negotiate a higher respiratory physician salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time respiratory physician salary is $203,800; use that, not a guess, as your anchor, and adjust for your experience and employer.
- Use demand as leverage. Respiratory Physicians 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 Patient care and support and Clinical assessment and treatment tend to command a premium over general respiratory physician experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- 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."
Respiratory Physician salary questions
How much do respiratory physicians earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for a respiratory physician is $203,800 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is respiratory physician pay rising or falling?
The median respiratory physician salary is up $43,100 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.