Physio salary: where it sits against the national line
The typical full-time physiotherapist in Australia earns a median of $1,888 a week, or about $98,176 a year, according to the ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours (August 2025). That is below the national full-time adult ordinary-time average of $2,083.70 a week ($108,352 a year) but above the all-occupations full-time median of $90,532. The difference matters because the national line on this site is the full-time average, and your own pay can move above or below it depending on where you work and under what conditions.
State differences can pull pay away from the national average
The national average hides big differences between states and territories. For example:
- Western Australia full-time average: about $115,825
- Australian Capital Territory full-time average: about $119,090
- Tasmania full-time average: about $96,008
A physio in WA or the ACT is more likely to earn above the national average, while a physio in Tasmania may be below. The median for physiotherapists is $98,176, which is close to the Tasmanian average but well below the WA average. The state average includes all full-time workers, not just physios, but the pattern suggests location matters.
Award rates set a floor, not a ceiling
Most physiotherapists are covered by the Health Professionals and Support Services Award (MA000027). The award minimums from Fair Work (effective 1 October 2026) range from about $26.97 an hour for Level 1 support services to $39.42 an hour for Level 9 pay point 3. However, physiotherapists are health professionals and are typically classified at higher levels. The award rates rose 4.75% from 1 July 2026, but many physios earn above award, especially in private practice or with experience. The median of $98,176 is well above the award minimums, indicating that most full-time physios are paid above the floor.
How the national average is set
The ABS Average Weekly Earnings survey measures the average earnings of all full-time adults. It is published twice a year, for May and November. The May 2026 figure of $2,083.70 is the latest. This average can be influenced by compositional changes – for example, more high-paying jobs in mining or finance can pull the average up, while a rise in lower-paid service jobs can pull it down. Physiotherapists, as a professional occupation, sit around the middle of the distribution.
What this means for your pay
If you are a physiotherapist earning $98,176 a year, you are about $10,176 below the national full-time average. But if you work in a high-paying state like WA or the ACT, you may be closer to or above the line. If you work in Tasmania or South Australia, you may be further below. The award minimums ensure a base, but your experience, sector (public vs private), and location will determine where you sit.
For more detail on how your state compares, see States and territories. To see how physiotherapy compares with other occupations, see Job medians. And to understand how the figures are calculated, see How the figures are set.