Home Respiratory and Sleep Technician Salary
Respiratory and Sleep Technician salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for a respiratory and sleep technician is $80,100 per annum, before tax, up $17,000 since 2018.
DerivedIndicative estimate, not yet verified against official Jobs and Skills Australia / ABS data · Estimate
- Public hospital technicians are usually paid under the Health Professionals and Support Services Award or a state health enterprise agreement, which sets the base rate by classification level.
- Penalty rates move take-home pay more than anything else here, because overnight sleep studies attract evening, night and weekend loadings.
- Private sleep clinics may pay on a different scale from a hospital lung function laboratory, and extra training in scoring or advanced lung function testing can move you up a classification.
The median salary rose by $17,000 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 respiratory and sleep technician
The largest typical pay rise is $7,300 a year, moving into Cardiac Technician.
- Cardiac Technician+$7,300/yr
- Anaesthetic Technician+$500/yr
- Operating Theatre Technician+$500/yr
How to negotiate a higher respiratory and sleep technician salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time respiratory and sleep technician salary is $80,100; use that, not a guess, as your anchor, and adjust for your experience and employer.
- 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 and sleep technician experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Bring a real alternative to the table. Cardiac Technician pays a typical $7,300 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."
Respiratory and Sleep Technician salary questions
How much do respiratory and sleep technicians earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for a respiratory and sleep technician is $80,100 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is respiratory and sleep technician pay rising or falling?
The median respiratory and sleep technician salary is up $17,000 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
What pays more than respiratory and sleep technician?
Cardiac Technician pays a typical $7,300 a year more and draws on similar skills to respiratory and sleep technician.
Related salaries
- Cardiac Technician salary
- Anaesthetic Technician salary
- Operating Theatre Technician salary
- Dialysis Technician salary
- Dental Assistant salary
- Sonographer 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.