GP Nurses in Australia earn a wide range, averaging around $80,000-$95,000 annually ($40-$50+/hr), with pay varying significantly by experience, location (cities pay more), and specialty, but Registered Nurses generally start higher than Enrolled Nurses, with potential to reach over $100k+ with senior roles or advanced skills.
Being a GPN is a challenging role because it is complex compared to many other nursing roles based in hospitals and other institutional settings. The role exists within an often hidden and mysterious general practice hierarchy with plenty of titles to confuse patients and sometimes the GPNs themselves.
As you are more likely to be employed in a GP surgery, your salary will vary depending on your employer. If employed by the NHS directly, your standard working week will be around 37.5 hours if you are employed by the NHS and paid on the Agenda for Change (AFC) pay system, typically starting at band 6.
Which nurse earns the most money in Australia? The highest-paid nurses in Australia are typically Nurse Practitioners, who can earn between $130,000 and $160,000 per year. They have advanced clinical training, can diagnose illnesses, prescribe medication, and often work independently.
The 15 highest paying jobs in Australia in 2024
A certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA) is a trained nursing specialist who assists with administering anesthesia to patients during surgery. Salary: Nurse anesthetists are the highest-paid nurses, with a median annual income of $195,610 according to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics.
General Practice Nurses work in a GP surgery as part of a primary healthcare team, which typically includes doctors, nurses, pharmacists, physiotherapists and dietitians. A practice nurse will be involved in almost every aspect of patient care and treatment, undertaking such tasks as: Treating small injuries.
Clinical duties
Band 7 nurses possess extensive clinical knowledge and skills in their specialised area of practice. They apply their expertise to assess and diagnose patients accurately, develop appropriate treatment plans and deliver high-quality care.
LPNs in these roles often earn higher pay for on-call availability and patient-centered expertise. Travel Nursing: Among the top-paying opportunities, with annual salaries of $101,132 per year or $49 per hour (ZipRecruiter, 2025).
For those interested in high-stakes and critical care roles, here are the 11 hardest nurse practitioner specialties:
Emergency department nurses tend to experience the highest rates of burnout. A study published in the Psychology, Health, and Medicine Journal noted that ED nurses feel that they have the least control in their job among nurses in different specialties, which may also influence their high burnout rates.
Administrative burden – GPs often have a significant administrative workload, including medical note-taking, insurance documentation, and coordination with other healthcare providers. These administrative tasks can be time-consuming and detract from direct patient care.
Band 7 Nurses - Advanced Nurse / Nurse Practitioner
Band 7 roles tend to require a Master's level degree or equivalent. Meaning that you'll need to take on years of extra study and training to reach this band. Most trusts and employers want to help nurses reach this level, so you'll have plenty of support.
Band 6 and band 7 will have three step points, taking a minimum of two years to progress from the entry step point to the mid step point and then a further minimum of three years to progress to the top of the band.
The government confirmed a 3.6% NHS pay rise, but unions led by the RCN warn it's unfair and may trigger strikes. Although much confusion still surrounds NHS nursing pay rises for 2025, we can confirm that the government has rubber stamped a 3.6% increase for NHS nurses and other Agenda for Change staff.
They can assess symptoms and build a picture of a patient's condition, treat minor health problems, infections, minor injuries and prescribe medication where necessary. They can also often manage more complicated problems, for instance, patients presenting with long-term health conditions, such as diabetes and COPD.
Many health care workers are facing stressful situations that can increase feelings of fear and worry and lead to a deterioration in mental and physical health that will cause some to leave the health care profession.
The funding a general practice receives depends on a complex mix of different income streams. Much of a practice's income comes from its core contract agreements – meeting mandatory requirements, running essential services and operating additional and out-of-hours services where they have been agreed.
The highest paid nurse is a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA). Professionals in this field earn as low as USD 101,000 and as high as USD 174,000, with an average salary of USD 124,00.
Research with patients and patient outcomes has shown that nurses with a BSN have better patient outcomes on average. So, in a competitive healthcare market that must maximize patient outcomes, BSN has become the preferred degree for most hiring efforts.
Acute Care Nurse
Trauma nursing is one of the most demanding and stressful roles a nurse can assume. RNs and APRNs on trauma units work under overwhelming pressure with patients in critical conditions.