CRNA salary in Australia: what you need to know
The term “CRNA” (Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist) is a US credential. In Australia, the role is performed by nurse practitioners or clinical nurse specialists in anaesthesia, often under state health enterprise agreements or private hospital awards. Because the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) and Fair Work do not publish a separate classification for “nurse anaesthetist”, there is no single official salary figure. This page explains where you can find relevant pay information and how it compares to the national full-time average.
The national full-time average as a reference
The ABS Average Weekly Earnings survey for May 2026 gives the full-time adult ordinary time average as $2,083.70 per week. Multiplied by 52 weeks, that is about $108,352 per year. This is the line on this site. It includes all full-time adult employees across all industries and occupations. For comparison, the full-time median (from the ABS Employee Earnings and Hours survey, August 2025) is about $90,532 per year, and the all-employees median is about $74,100 per year. The national minimum wage from 1 July 2026 is $26.44 per hour, or $52,255 per year on a 38-hour week.
Nursing pay under the Nurses Award
The Fair Work Ombudsman’s Nurses Award (MA000034) sets minimum rates for many nursing classifications. The pay guide published 17 July 2026 (effective from 1 August 2026) includes these weekly rates for full-time and part-time employees:
- Nursing assistant (1st year): $1,050.70/week ($27.65/hour)
- Enrolled nurse pay point 1: $1,139.90/week ($30.00/hour)
- Enrolled nurse pay point 3: $1,170.40/week ($30.80/hour)
These are minimums. Nurse anaesthetists are typically classified at higher levels – for example, as a Registered Nurse Level 4 or above, or as a Nurse Practitioner – which are not listed in the award summary but are often covered by enterprise agreements. Pay for these roles can be significantly higher, sometimes exceeding the national full-time average.
Professional earnings from the ABS
The ABS Employee Earnings and Hours survey (May 2025) shows that the occupation group “Professionals” has an average hourly earnings of $64.50. If a nurse anaesthetist is classified as a professional (which they are), a 38-hour week at that rate would yield about $2,451 per week, or $127,452 per year. However, this is an average across all professionals (including doctors, lawyers, engineers) and is not specific to nursing or anaesthesia. The median hourly rate for professionals is also $64.50, indicating that half earn more and half less.
Take-home pay sketch
Using the 2026–27 resident tax rates:
- Tax-free threshold: $0–$18,200
- 15%: $18,201–$45,000
- 30%: $45,001–$135,000
- 37%: $135,001–$190,000
- 45%: above $190,000
- Plus Medicare levy of 2%.
For someone earning the national full-time average of $108,352:
- Tax on first $18,200: $0
- Tax on $18,201–$45,000 (26,800): $4,020
- Tax on $45,001–$108,352 (63,352): $19,005.60
- Total tax: $23,025.60
- Medicare levy: $2,167.04
- Total deductions: $25,192.64
- Net annual take-home: about $83,159.36 (or $1,599.22 per week).
If a nurse anaesthetist earns, say, $130,000 (above the average), the tax would be higher: $23,025.60 on the first $108,352 plus 37% on the next $21,648 = $8,009.76, total tax $31,035.36, Medicare $2,600, net about $96,364.64.
State variations
The full-time average varies by state and territory. For example:
- Australian Capital Territory: $119,090
- Western Australia: $115,825
- New South Wales: $109,658
- Tasmania: $96,008
Nurse anaesthetist pay may also vary by state due to different enterprise agreements. You can compare your location using our States and territories page.
Where to find more specific figures
Because “CRNA” is not an Australian classification, the best approach is to:
- Check the relevant enterprise agreement for your hospital or health service (often available on the Fair Work Commission website).
- Look at job advertisements for nurse practitioner or clinical nurse specialist (anaesthetics) roles.
- Use the Job medians page to see median earnings for “Nursing and midwifery professionals” (though this category is broad).
Conclusion
There is no official CRNA salary in Australia. The national full-time average of $108,352 provides a benchmark. Nurse anaesthetists likely earn above this, but exact figures depend on classification, location, and employer. For a personalised estimate, Place a salary on the line using your own details.
For more on how these figures are calculated, see How the figures are set.