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Veterinary Nurse salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for a veterinary nurse is $86,700 per annum, before tax, up $18,000 since 2018.
Pay is usually set by the Animal Care and Veterinary Services Award or a clinic's enterprise agreement, so it moves with your qualification level and years on the job rather than with how busy a particular week is. Weekend, public holiday and after-hours shifts attract penalty rates, and emergency hospitals that provide overnight cover often pay above a weekday-only practice.
Roles that pay more than veterinary nurse
The largest typical pay rise is $38,800 a year, moving into Veterinarian.
- Veterinarian+$38,800/yr
How to negotiate a higher veterinary nurse salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time veterinary nurse salary is $86,700; use that, not a guess, as your anchor, and adjust for your experience and employer.
- Use demand as leverage. Veterinary Nurses 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 veterinary nurse experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Bring a real alternative to the table. Veterinarian pays a typical $38,800 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."
Veterinary Nurse salary questions
How much do veterinary nurses earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for a veterinary nurse is $86,700 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is veterinary nurse pay rising or falling?
The median veterinary nurse salary is up $18,000 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
What pays more than veterinary nurse?
Veterinarian pays a typical $38,800 a year more and draws on similar skills to veterinary nurse.