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Veterinarian salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for a veterinarian is $125,500 per annum, before tax, up $26,100 since 2018.
- Emergency and after-hours work pays more than routine daytime consults, and specialist registration in surgery, medicine or imaging lifts earnings further.
- Rural and remote practices often advertise above the city rate because vacancies there are harder to fill, and owning a practice changes the picture again.
- When you compare offers, ask what the on-call roster looks like, whether it is paid or built into the salary, and who covers registration and continuing education costs.
The median salary rose by $26,100 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 veterinarian
The largest typical pay rise is $26,500 a year, moving into University Lecturer.
- University Lecturer+$26,500/yr
How to negotiate a higher veterinarian salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time veterinarian salary is $125,500; use that, not a guess, as your anchor, and adjust for your experience and employer.
- Use demand as leverage. Veterinarians 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 Animal care and handling and Clinical assessment and treatment tend to command a premium over general veterinarian experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Bring a real alternative to the table. University Lecturer pays a typical $26,500 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."
Veterinarian salary questions
How much do veterinarians earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for a veterinarian is $125,500 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is veterinarian pay rising or falling?
The median veterinarian salary is up $26,100 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
What pays more than veterinarian?
University Lecturer pays a typical $26,500 a year more and draws on similar skills to veterinarian.
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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.