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Plastic Surgeon salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for a plastic surgeon is $223,600 per annum, before tax, up $46,800 since 2018.
What a plastic surgeon earns depends heavily on the mix of public and private work. Salaried hospital posts follow state enterprise agreements with loadings for on-call and after-hours surgery, while private practice pays a fee for each procedure, so income rises with caseload, reputation and the type of surgery you do. Subspecialty matters too, since craniofacial and microsurgery posts sit in major hospitals, and cosmetic practices depend on where patients are willing to travel.
How to negotiate a higher plastic surgeon salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time plastic surgeon salary is $223,600; 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 Clinical assessment and treatment and Patient care and support tend to command a premium over general plastic surgeon 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."
Plastic Surgeon salary questions
How much do plastic surgeons earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for a plastic surgeon is $223,600 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is plastic surgeon pay rising or falling?
The median plastic surgeon salary is up $46,800 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.