Registrar salaries up in 2024

Registrar salaries are not equal with Victorian registrars earning on average 56% more compared to their colleagues across the Tasman.

The averages are a comparison of a states average salary range compared to another. If you worked in one state for 4 years of training you might earn on average over that 4 years the amount in the table above.

While the average register salary is approximately $127,000 it does not include additional overtime and other benefits such as leave entitlements and study allowances. When paid overtime varies depending on the day of week, time of day, the number of hours overtime, and public holiday. In some jurisdictions, the first two hours can be paid at one rate above the normal hourly rate and afterwards the rate increases. And in other instances, if the overtime is before a roster scheduled, i.e. before 7am or after 7pm, then there are different rates.

Victoria, Queensland, and ACT seem to pay the highest rate however this is relevative to the hourly base rate. Two states, Victoria and Queenlsnad, paying the best overtime rates are also in the top 3 average registrar salaries.

However, overtime is subject to claims being approved and as recent class actions by junior doctors suggest it can be difficult to receive.

In a survey of over 1000 doctors in training, it concluded that unrostered overtime was high, doctors were less inclined to claim overtime, and not all claims were fully paid. As their graph shows below, different training programs payout overtime are different rates.

The study also found that different training programmes pay overtime claims at different rates. Surgical doctors in training were more likely to have their overtime claims paid compared to physician and critical care (ED, ICU, and anaesthetics).

NSW doctors' award expires in June and they currently campaigning for a new award in 2024. With the government recently announcing a 10.5% payrise over 3 years for other public service workers. However, NSW doctors live in the most expensive state in Australia however they are the bottom three lowest paid compared to their counterparts in other states.

State awards are valid for a few years to come while others were enacted recently:

Junior doctors salaries vary state to state and their benefits also differ significantly. The numbers also show why doctors in some states are seeing a push to increase salaries to be inline with their peers in other states.