Pay Rates for Consultant Locum Doctors in Australia 2025
Every Consultant rate on the record. Pulling straight from hospital job boards, we’ve analysed 4,745 shifts since October 2024. Consider this your panoramic view - states, specialty spreads and seasonal swings follow below.
What is the average rate for a Consultant Locum Doctor in 2025?
The average rate for a Consultant Locum Doctor in 2025 is $228.12 per hour or $1,824.93 per day. Based on 4,745 shifts across 5 states.
What is the average Salary of a Consultant Locum Doctor?The average salary for a Consultant Locum Doctor in 2025 is $433,421.92 per year.
How we convert the hourly rate to a yearly figure
- Hourly rate
- $228.12
- Full-time hours
- 38hrs/week
- Weeks worked
- 50
$228.12 × 38hrs × 50 ≈ $433,421.92
Specialty Pay Breakdown
The highest paying specialty for a Consultant Locum Doctors is Psychiatry with an average rate of $294.00per hour. The lowest paying role is Gastroenterology with an average rate of $128.00 per hour.
| Role | Average Rate | Salary | Shifts Sampled |
|---|---|---|---|
| Psychiatry | $294/hr | $558,600 | 774 |
| Palliative Care | $278/hr | $528,200 | 33 |
| Rehab | $263/hr | $499,700 | 53 |
| Oncology | $251/hr | $476,900 | 191 |
| Geriatrics | $241/hr | $457,900 | 28 |
| Emergency Medicine | $237/hr | $450,300 | 1069 |
| General Practice | $234/hr | $444,600 | 261 |
| Urgent Care | $210/hr | $399,000 | 319 |
| Anaesthetics | $210/hr | $399,000 | 768 |
| Obstetrics & Gynaecology | $196/hr | $372,400 | 333 |
| Paediatrics | $186/hr | $353,400 | 156 |
| General Medicine | $185/hr | $351,500 | 385 |
| Orthopaedics | $184/hr | $349,600 | 91 |
| Surgery | $175/hr | $332,500 | 117 |
| Gastroenterology | $128/hr | $243,200 | 50 |
State Breakdown Of Consultant Rates
The highest paying state for Consultant Locum Doctors is QLD with an average rate of $257.60 per hour. The lowest paying state is SA with an average rate of $129.28 per hour. Total variance of $128.31.
What is the average rate for a Consultant Locum Doctor in NSW?
$223.17 per hour. Based on 3,703 shifts.
| Rate | Hospital | |
|---|---|---|
| Highest | $500.00 | Tamworth |
| Lowest | $83.33 | Armidale |
| Average | $223.17 | n/a |
What is the average rate for a Consultant Locum Doctor in VIC?
$247.38 per hour. Based on 189 shifts.
| Rate | Hospital | |
|---|---|---|
| Highest | $400.00 | Bairnsdale Regional Health Service |
| Lowest | $98.04 | Bairnsdale Regional Health Service |
| Average | $247.38 | n/a |
What is the average rate for a Consultant Locum Doctor in SA?
$129.28 per hour. Based on 23 shifts.Very Small Sample Size
| Rate | Hospital | |
|---|---|---|
| Highest | $180.00 | Riverland Regional Health Service - Berri Hospital |
| Lowest | $104.00 | Lameroo District Health Services |
| Average | $129.28 | n/a |
What is the average rate for a Consultant Locum Doctor in WA?
$208.33 per hour. Based on 92 shifts.
| Rate | Hospital | |
|---|---|---|
| Highest | $208.33 | Armadale Health Service |
| Lowest | $208.33 | Armadale Health Service |
| Average | $208.33 | n/a |
What is the average rate for a Consultant Locum Doctor in QLD?
$257.60 per hour. Based on 679 shifts.
| Rate | Hospital | |
|---|---|---|
| Highest | $330.00 | Mount Isa Hospital |
| Lowest | $112.21 | Cloncurry Hospital |
| Average | $257.60 | n/a |
Do Night Shifts Pay Better Rates For Consultant Locum Doctors?
Not necesarilly, the average rate for a Consultant Locum Doctor on a night shift is $220.19 per hour (116 shifts). The average rate for a Consultant Locum Doctor on a day shift is $229.12 per hour (4341 shifts).
Does Seasonality Affect Rates?
The highest paying month for Consultant Locum Doctors is Feb with an average rate of $246.00 per hour. The lowest paying month is Jan with an average rate of $208.00 per hour.
Data Collection Methodology
Medlo is a medical recruitment platform using state of the art technology to collect and process live market data.
In total Medlo has processed upwards of 20,000 medical shifts since inception in 2023.
Hospital Network
As of July 2025, Medlo's hospital network spans 81 of the 700 total Australian hospital network (11%), with data for NSW, VIC, QLD, SA, and WA (states ordered by shift volume)
Medlo's hospitals are predominantly public.
Although, our data primarily represents public/regional hospitals, it may act as a proxy for relative private or metropolitan hospital rates.
Sampling
The data used in this report spans from October 2024 to July 2025. For July onwards all data is forecasted rates by hospital suppliers - though it does not represent the final bookings for the year.
Caveats
- Sample sizes may vary from state to state, and may not be representative of the entire market.
- Rates may vary from hospital to hospital, and may not be representative of the entire market.
- Low sample sizes are marked with
Low Sample Size - Precautionary measures are taken to clean data and remove outliers. For example all rates used in average calculatrions have been filtered to be between 80 and 450.
Medlo processes on average 1,000-2,000 shifts per month. Come back soon for more data!
Wrapping Up
We hope this comprehensive breakdown of Consultant rates across Australia has been helpful. If you're interested in comparing rates across different roles, check out our other rate guides:
Remember to check back regularly as we update our data multiple times per week with the latest market rates. For the most accurate and up-to-date information, consider signing in to access our full database of rates.