Why a Cardiac Sonographer's Pay Can Sit Above or Below the National Line
If you search for a "cardiac sonographer salary Australia", you will not find a single published figure from the Australian Bureau of Statistics or Jobs and Skills Australia. The ABS does not break down earnings to the level of cardiac sonography, and the occupation profile for sonographers (ANZSCO 251214) notes that median weekly earnings are not available because the data does not meet reliability standards. That gap does not mean the role is unmeasured; it means the pay is best understood by looking at the forces that push any health professional's salary off the national full-time average.
The National Benchmark
The ABS Average Weekly Earnings survey for May 2026 sets the national full-time adult ordinary-time earnings at $2,083.70 a week, or about $108,352 a year when multiplied by 52. This is the line that Place a salary on the line uses as its reference point. The full-time median, from the ABS Employee Earnings and Hours survey of August 2025, is lower at about $90,532 a year, reflecting that many full-time workers earn less than the average. The all-employees median (including part-time) is about $74,100. For a cardiac sonographer, the actual weekly pay will depend on where they work, who employs them, and how their pay is set.
State and Territory Differences
The ABS publishes state-level full-time adult ordinary-time earnings. These vary markedly and can pull a cardiac sonographer's salary well above or below the national line. For example:
- Australian Capital Territory: $2,290.20 a week (about $119,090 a year)
- Western Australia: $2,227.40 a week (about $115,825 a year)
- New South Wales: $2,108.80 a week (about $109,658 a year)
- Victoria: $2,041.10 a week (about $106,137 a year)
- Queensland: $2,039.70 a week (about $106,064 a year)
- South Australia: $1,970.20 a week (about $102,450 a year)
- Northern Territory: $1,984.10 a week (about $103,173 a year)
- Tasmania: $1,846.30 a week (about $96,008 a year)
A cardiac sonographer working in the ACT or WA is likely to earn more than one in Tasmania or South Australia, even before accounting for experience or sector. These state averages reflect the mix of industries and occupations in each region. Health care is a major employer everywhere, but the public sector dominates in the ACT and the mining industry lifts wages in WA, which can spill over into health roles.
Public vs Private Sector and Award Coverage
The ABS data shows that public sector full-time adult ordinary-time earnings ($2,263.10 a week) are higher than private sector ($2,034.10). Many cardiac sonographers work in public hospitals, where enterprise agreements set pay scales based on years of service and classification. Private practices and imaging centres may use individual arrangements or the Health Professionals and Support Services Award. The national minimum wage from 1 July 2026 is $26.44 an hour ($1,004.90 a week, $52,255 a year on 38 hours), but award minimums rose by 4.75% and are typically higher for qualified sonographers. Still, an award rate alone would not reach the national full-time average; most sonographers are paid above the award through agreements or individual negotiation.
The Role of Part-Time Work
According to Jobs and Skills Australia, 77% of sonographers are female and 77% work part-time. The median age is 39. Part-time work pulls down the all-employees average and median. For a cardiac sonographer working full-time, the weekly pay is likely to be closer to the full-time average for health professionals, but the high part-time share means that published medians for the occupation are suppressed. The ABS Employee Earnings survey for August 2025 shows that part-time employees across all occupations have a median weekly earnings of $769, compared to $1,887 for full-time. This is why a full-time cardiac sonographer's salary can sit well above the all-employees median but still vary from the national full-time average depending on location and employer.
How the Figures Are Set
The ABS calculates average weekly earnings from a survey of employers, not from tax records. How the figures are set explains that movements in earnings can be affected by changes in the composition of the labour force, including the proportion of full-time, part-time, casual and junior employees. For a cardiac sonographer, the method of setting pay is most commonly an individual arrangement (individual arrangement was used by 38.5% of all employees nationally, with collective agreements at 34.6%). In the public sector, collective agreements are more common. The method influences whether a salary sits above or below the national line: those on individual arrangements tend to have higher average weekly total cash earnings ($2,005.70 in WA, $1,931.80 in NSW) compared to those on award-only ($817.50 in WA, $1,038.90 in NSW).
Summary
Without a specific published figure for cardiac sonographer salary Australia, the best approach is to use the national full-time adult ordinary-time average as a starting point. Then adjust for state, sector, and method of pay. The States and territories page shows how each region compares. The Job medians page lists medians for broader health occupations. For a cardiac sonographer, the actual figure will likely be within a range around the national average, but the state and award can move it significantly. If you are negotiating a salary, these benchmarks give you a solid foundation.