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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.
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.
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 skills shortage list for regional areas, 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.