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Salary Packages – Australia

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NB: This article was updated in August 2025 – please consult the Animal Care and Veterinary Services Award 2020 for up to date information and wage entitlements.

Most Veterinary Practices in Australia are subject to the Animal Care and Veterinary Services Award 2020. An Award sets minimum terms and conditions of employment. The Award is usually updated every July.

The Animal Care and Veterinary Services Award 2020 covers Veterinary Surgeons, Practice Managers, Veterinary Nurses, Receptionists, Animal attendants and Assistants, and Animal care industry inspectors.

The Award covers arrangements such as, but not limited to those below:

  • minimum wage rates
  • allowances
  • payment for extra hours worked
  • on-call and provision for a communication system
  • rosters & RDOs
  • annual leave
  • CPD – continuing professional development
  • Professional indemnity insurance
  • Periods of notice, redundancy
  • Clothing for work
  • Travel and use of own vehicle
  • Meal breaks
  • Sick leave
  • Maternity leave
  • Public holidays
  • Dispute resolution

The terms and conditions of the Award must be complied with by the parties covered by the Award. However, employment arrangements can operate over and above the Award eg. An employment agreement can provide for a salary ‘package’ which exceeds the minimum salaries required, thus encompassing all other entitlements such as allowances, on-call work, extra hours etc.

Veterinary Surgeons (01 Jul 2025)

Classification Minimum annual salary
$
Minimum hourly rate
$
Level 1A (graduates) 64,516 32.65
Level 1B (after 6 months) 68,073 34.45
Level 2 (after 2 years) 73,547 37.22
Level 3 (experienced) 80,799 40.89
Level 4 (senior vet) 91,252 46.18

+ on call allowance $54.05 for each period of on call duty

+ at least the relevant hourly rate for any active on call

+ 98 cents/km reimbursement for practice use of private vehicle

+ Superannuation 12%

Locums

Locums may be engaged and paid as a casual employee. A casual employee must be paid at the hourly rate prescribed for the class of work performed, plus 25%.

Market Salary Rates

Because the Animal Care and Veterinary Services Award 2020 sets minimum salaries and terms of employment, market salary rates can vary across the country and between practices. Keeping an eye on job adverts can be a way of getting an idea of market salary rates, but many ads don’t mention salary levels. There is now a requirement for ads to include a salary range if they need to comply with advertising requirements for visa sponsorship. The most recent Kookaburra Veterinary Employment salary survey was carried out in 2022, after covid,  and the results can be accessed at https://www.vetsuppliersdirectory.com.au/salary-survey-2022/

We suggest that you could ask for a written letter of offer when you are offered a permanent position, and that you could also request a Contract, or an equivalent document, when you commence work. You can consider renegotiating your salary package after 6 months, together with getting an update on how well your employer feels you are progressing in your job.

Vet Nurses / Vet Technicians and Support Staff

Rates for Vet Nurses, Receptionists, Practice Managers, Animal Attendants range from $24.28/hour for introductory level up to $32.23/hour for level 5 (Practice Manager), and there are also Saturday afternoon, Sunday, and public holiday rates specified in the Award. Casual (locum) VNs should have a 25% casual loading.

For more information

You can view the Award on the Fair Work Commission website at www.fwc.gov.au

If you are a member of the AVA, they provide help and advice through the AVA HR hotline – 1300 788977 or avahrhotline@whr.com.au  This is possibly the best reason to be a member of the AVA – the HR service is very useful.

Author:

Wendy Nathan
Kookaburra Veterinary Employment

This information includes the views and opinions of Kookaburra Veterinary Employment and is of a general nature only. Factual information is believed to be correct at the time of writing, however, should not be relied upon and any person should confirm details with the relevant authorities and through their own research prior to acting on any of the suggestions in this article.

18/08/2025 |

The Edge Equine – Specialists in Power Equipment and Custom Manufacturing

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For over 20 years now, working alongside and listening to veterinary leaders, we’ve introduced to the Australian vet market, new and exciting equipment previously not available in Australia. Our manufacturing capabilities and our commitment to paving the way towards the future in the field of equine dentistry, have helped cement us as industry leaders.

Quality is everything to us, and we only stock and supply quality instruments.

Our service and maintenance department, headed up by several specialist technicians, is fully equipped with a large range of spare parts to suit almost any brand of equine dental power equipment. We take pride in our knowledge and flexibility, not to mention our outstanding customer service. Our turnaround time, generally 24 – 48 hours, means that you have minimal downtime and can quickly get back to what you do best!

We’re fully committed to continuing to update and modernise our workshop and service facilities and to train our team in the latest manufacturing methods to meet your service and maintenance requirements.

Contact us for more information about your service requirements, and if you’re after a custom job, we’re your people!

www.theedgeequine.com

P +61 3 5449 3802

E enquiry@theedgeequine.com

61 Pratts Park Road, Bendigo Vic 3550

12/08/2025 |

Marketing of Job Vacancies

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Advertising of an employment vacancy can seem like it should be the least important part of your recruitment process. However, the marketing of your workplace and your employment offer has a direct influence on not just the number of applicants, but their quality – and a knock on effect on the satisfaction of your new employee once appointed, and their growth and longevity in that appointment.

Our most often repeated advice is to include a salary or salary range in your ad, as research shows this is a critical factor in the decision whether or not to contact you – and this is still the thing most frequently omitted from job ads in the veterinary industry. In addition, be specific about hours, rosters, and if you’re offering ‘flexibility’ give some indication of exactly what form that flexibility would take.

Kookaburra Services

Marketing is distinct from advertising. While some advertising providers in the veterinary industry compare their platform to others, at Kookaburra Veterinary Employment we prefer to let our services speak for themselves.

So, what does Kookaburra offer? Everything below is included in our single service for marketing of part time, full time, or casual vet jobs, and this service and prices are exactly the same for corporate clinic owners as for independently owned clinics, to keep recruitment a level playing field no matter the size of the employer.

Our Vet Service includes:

  • Online advertising on website kookaburravets.com in as many categories as required, no limit on the number of words, reasonable updates to wording as required, with a photo gallery of up to 12 photos. Help with proof reading and advice on structure of adverts. Inclusion of clinic branding (logo), and hyperlinks to clinic homepage and social media. Inclusion of direct application link for online applications if provided by clinic.
    Highlighted advert for initial 4 weeks.
    While jobs are listed in a summary on a geographical basis, the actual advert wording is rotated from the bottom to the top of the page every 4 weeks, so no ad gets lost at the bottom of the page, irrespective of the amount of time it’s been listed.
  • The team also pro-actively checks the clinic branding to make sure we’re using the most up to date logo, website, socials etc – many clinics undergo upgrades, modernization, or re-branding, and forget to let Kookaburra know.
  • An individual job advert page online, including set up of social media tags for a title, short job description and clinic specific image, so that the clinic-branded page can be shared on online platforms, and linked to, with no restriction.
  • Personal marketing of the vacancy to individual suitable vets on the Kookaburra database (and maintenance of that job seeker database).
  • Inclusion in a weekly job list sent by email to all job seeking vets on the Kookaburra database
  • Inclusion in a fortnightly job list with new and recent graduate friendly vacancies, if applicable, sent to the Australian & NZ university veterinary faculties and from them distributed to their students, and also available to any subscribers to this mailing list, as well as sent to any new or recent graduates listed on the Kookaburra database. New jobs are highlighted, and once jobs are filled or removed, this is also noted on the job list to give feedback to applicants.
  • Listing on the Kookaburra Jobs app, which is free and available worldwide on the App Store. It will also be available on the Google Play Store as an android version later in 2025. Jobs are displayed geographically on a map, as well as in a list. Users can sort jobs; filter according to multiple categories such as telemedicine, visa sponsorship, suitability for new grads; save favourite jobs, and set their preferred search area. They can also search for particular job descriptions or clinic names.
  • Contact with the advertiser is initiated by a Kookaburra team member every 4 weeks to check that the advertising is still reflecting their needs and to offer to make alterations if required.
  • Kookaburra will provide documentation of advertising and costs on request to clinics requiring such for Home Affairs in order to support Visa sponsorship applications, at no additional cost.

In order to list a vet job with Kookaburra Veterinary Employment, email the team on jobs@kookaburravets.com

Our aim is to fill jobs, and every job filled causes a little celebration in the Kookaburra office ??

From Animal Attendants to Zoo Vets

Author:

Wendy Nathan
Kookaburra Veterinary Employment

This information includes the views and opinions of Kookaburra Veterinary Employment and is of a general nature only. Factual information is believed to be correct at the time of writing, however, should not be relied upon and any person should confirm details with the relevant authorities and through their own research prior to acting on any of the suggestions in this article.

16/06/2025 |

VetTech Australia: Backed by 25+ Years of Veterinary Industry Experience

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VetTech Australia is a proudly 100% Australian-owned and operated business, trusted by veterinary professionals across Australia and New Zealand. With over 25 years of industry experience, VetTech is known for delivering high-quality equipment, expert servicing, and personalised customer care that supports the day-to-day operations of modern veterinary practices.

Expanded Product Offering

VetTech supplies a wide range of trusted and innovative veterinary equipment from leading global manufacturers. Our offering includes:

  • Ultrasound imaging systems
  • Infusion and syringe pumps (including IV and syringe options)
  • Anaesthetic and patient monitoring equipment
  • Surgical and dental equipment
  • Veterinary consumables and accessories





We continually review and expand our product range to ensure clinics have access to the latest advancements in veterinary technology. In-House Servicing & Repairs – Australia-Wide

With a Sydney-based biomedical team and regular national coverage, VetTech provides both in-clinic servicing and in-house repairs via our fully equipped service facility. All servicing is conducted internally to ensure quality and fast turnaround times.

Services include:

  • Vaporiser servicing (TEC 3, 4, 5, and other leading models)
  • Repairs to anaesthetic machines, monitors, syringe drivers, warmers, oxygen concentrators, surgical tables, surgery lights, and more
  • Preventative maintenance and ongoing service plans tailored to clinic needs

Clinic Fit-Outs & Equipment Installations

From single-room upgrades to full clinic builds, VetTech collaborates with veterinary architects and builders to supply, install, and support critical equipment infrastructure. We offer complete medical gas solutions, surgical installs, and seamless project coordination from consultation through to completion. Reliable. Responsive. Experienced.

VetTech has built a reputation for fast response times, knowledgeable support, and consistent follow-through. Whether you’re sourcing new equipment, fitting out a new facility, or need reliable servicing — VetTech is ready to assist.

Want to learn more or get a copy of our latest product catalogue?


? 1300 339 139
? customerservice@vettech.com.au
?www.vettech.com.au

12/06/2025 |
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