Orthoptist salary in Australia
Orthoptists are allied health professionals who diagnose and manage eye movement disorders and vision problems. If you are researching an orthoptist salary in Australia, the most reliable source is the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), but its published data for this occupation is limited.
Where does the orthoptist salary figure come from?
The ABS groups orthoptists with optometrists under the occupation code 2514 (Optometrists and Orthoptists). In the latest Employee Earnings and Hours survey (May 2025), the median full-time weekly earnings for this group are not published because the relative standard error is too high. The Jobs and Skills Australia profile for Optometrists and Orthoptists also shows median weekly earnings as "N/A". This means there is no official, precise figure for the typical orthoptist salary that meets the ABS's quality standards.
The national full-time average as a reference
Without a direct figure, the best benchmark is the national full-time adult average weekly ordinary time earnings. According to the ABS Average Weekly Earnings release for May 2026, this average is $2,083.70 per week, or about $108,352 per year (multiplied by 52 weeks). This is the figure used as the line on this site. It represents the average pay for full-time adult employees across all industries and occupations, before tax and salary sacrifice.
For comparison, the full-time median weekly earnings for all employees are about $1,887 per week ($90,532 per year), and the all-employees median (including part-time) is about $1,436 per week ($74,100 per year). These medians come from the ABS Employee Earnings and Hours survey, August 2025.
How orthoptists compare
While we cannot give an exact orthoptist salary, we can look at the demographics of the occupation. The Jobs and Skills Australia profile shows:
- 76% of orthoptists are female
- Median age is 33 years (younger than the all-occupations median of 39)
- 59% work full-time (compared to 69% across all occupations)
The gender composition is important because the ABS reports a persistent gender pay gap. In May 2026, the full-time adult average weekly ordinary time earnings for women were $1,934.50 ($100,594 per year), while for men they were $2,181.50 ($113,412 per year). Given that orthoptists are predominantly female, the typical orthoptist salary is likely below the national full-time average of $2,083.70 per week. The lower full-time participation rate also means many orthoptists earn less than the full-time average.
Take-home pay on the national average
To give a sense of what a resident takes home on the national full-time average, here is a rough calculation for the 2026–27 income year. For a single person earning $108,352 per year:
- Tax on first $18,200: $0
- Tax on $18,201–$45,000 (15%): $4,020
- Tax on $45,001–$108,352 (30%): $19,005.60
- Total tax: $23,025.60
- Medicare levy (2%): $2,167.04
- Total deductions: $25,192.64
- Take-home pay: $83,159.36 per year, or about $1,599.22 per week
This is a simplified example. Your actual take-home will depend on your specific orthoptist salary, whether you have a partner, dependants, or other deductions. You can place a salary on the line to see how it compares.
State differences
The national full-time average varies by state and territory. The ABS Average Weekly Earnings (May 2026) provides these full-time adult ordinary time averages (annualised):
- New South Wales: $2,108.80 per week ($109,658 per year)
- Victoria: $2,041.10 ($106,137)
- Queensland: $2,039.70 ($106,064)
- South Australia: $1,970.20 ($102,450)
- Western Australia: $2,227.40 ($115,825)
- Tasmania: $1,846.30 ($96,008)
- Northern Territory: $1,984.10 ($103,173)
- Australian Capital Territory: $2,290.20 ($119,090)
Orthoptists working in the ACT or WA may earn closer to the higher state averages, but again, occupation-specific data is not available. See the states and territories page for more detail.
Award coverage
Orthoptists are typically covered by the Health Professionals and Support Services Award 2020 or an enterprise agreement. The national minimum wage from 1 July 2026 is $26.44 per hour, or $1,004.90 per week on a 38-hour week ($52,255 per year). Award minimums increased by 4.75% from that date. However, without a specific classification rate for orthoptists, we cannot provide an exact award salary here. Most orthoptists would earn above the minimum wage, but the lack of published medians makes it hard to say by how much.
Summary
The orthoptist salary in Australia is not published as a precise figure by the ABS due to statistical limitations. The best reference is the national full-time average of $2,083.70 per week ($108,352 per year). Given the occupation's demographics, the typical orthoptist likely earns less than this average. For a personalised comparison, use the Place a salary on the line tool.