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Anaesthetist salary in Australia: how it compares to the national full-time average

The median full-time anaesthetist earns $8,293 per week, well above the national full-time adult ordinary-time average of $2,084.

This sits on the Australian full-time average.

Week, hour, and a tax sketch

$2,084 a week · $54.83 an hour if spread over 38 hours

About $83,159 after resident income tax and a 2% Medicare levy.

2026–27 resident rates and a 2% Medicare levy. Not a tax assessment.Open the full line

Anaesthetist salary in Australia

Anaesthetists are among the highest-paid professionals in Australia. The most recent official earnings data, from Jobs and Skills Australia, shows a median full-time weekly earnings of $8,293 for anaesthetists (based on the ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025). That is about $431,236 a year before tax.

This figure is a median, meaning half of full-time anaesthetists earn more and half earn less. It is not an average, and it excludes managers, part-time workers, and junior rates. The national benchmark for full-time adult ordinary-time earnings, from the ABS Average Weekly Earnings survey for May 2026, is $2,083.70 a week, or about $108,352 a year. The anaesthetist median is roughly four times that average.

How the figures are set

The national full-time average comes from the ABS Average Weekly Earnings series, published twice a year (May and November). The May 2026 release shows a seasonally adjusted full-time adult ordinary-time average of $2,083.70 per week. That is the line used on this site. Medians come from the ABS Employee Earnings survey, most recently for August 2025, which reported a full-time median of $1,741 a week ($90,532 a year) and an all-employees median of $1,425 a week ($74,100 a year). The national minimum wage, set by Fair Work from 1 July 2026, is $26.44 an hour, or $1,004.90 for a 38-hour week ($52,255 a year).

A resident take-home sketch

To give a sense of what an anaesthetist might take home after tax, we can apply the 2026–27 resident tax rates and the Medicare levy to the median annual figure of $431,236. The tax brackets are: nil on the first $18,200; 15% on the next $26,800; 30% on the next $90,000; 37% on the next $55,000; and 45% on income above $190,000. Medicare is 2% of taxable income.

Estimated tax: $159,926. Medicare levy: $8,625. Total deductions: $168,551. Take-home: about $262,685 a year, or $5,051 a week. This is a rough calculation; actual tax depends on deductions, offsets, and other factors.

How it compares

  • National full-time average: $2,084 a week ($108,352 a year) – the anaesthetist median is about 4 times higher.
  • Full-time median: $1,741 a week ($90,532 a year) – about 4.8 times lower.
  • All-employees median: $1,425 a week ($74,100 a year) – about 5.8 times lower.
  • National minimum wage: $1,005 a week ($52,255 a year) – about 8.3 times lower.

State full-time averages also vary, from Tasmania’s $1,846 a week ($96,008 a year) to the ACT’s $2,290 a week ($119,090 a year). But even the highest state average is still well below the anaesthetist median.

Where to next?

If you want to see where your own salary sits against the national average, you can place a salary on the line. For more detail on how the national average and medians are calculated, see how the figures are set.

Important notes

  • The anaesthetist figure is a median for full-time non-managerial employees paid at the adult rate. It comes from Jobs and Skills Australia, which sources it from the ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025.
  • The national full-time average is from ABS Average Weekly Earnings, May 2026.
  • All figures are before tax and include salary sacrifice amounts.
  • Tax calculations are illustrative and based on 2026–27 rates for a resident with no other income or deductions.

Questions

What is the average anaesthetist salary in Australia?

The most recent official figure is a median, not an average. Jobs and Skills Australia reports that full-time anaesthetists had median weekly earnings of $8,293 in May 2025. That works out to about $431,236 a year before tax. The national full-time adult ordinary-time average, from the ABS Average Weekly Earnings survey for May 2026, is $2,083.70 a week, or roughly $108,352 a year.

How does anaesthetist pay compare to the national average?

The median anaesthetist earns about four times the national full-time average. The national full-time adult ordinary-time average is $2,083.70 a week ($108,352 a year). The median for all full-time employees is about $1,741 a week ($90,532 a year), and the median for all employees (including part-time) is $1,425 a week ($74,100 a year). The national minimum wage from 1 July 2026 is $26.44 an hour, or $1,004.90 a week for a 38-hour week ($52,255 a year).

What is the take-home pay for an anaesthetist after tax?

Using the median of $8,293 a week ($431,236 a year) and the 2026–27 resident tax rates (nil to $18,200; 15% to $45,000; 30% to $135,000; 37% to $190,000; 45% above) plus the 2% Medicare levy, the estimated annual tax and Medicare is about $168,550. That leaves a take-home of roughly $262,690 a year, or about $5,051 a week. This is a rough guide; individual circumstances vary.

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