Regional Queensland
Regional recruitment specialist for Queensland employers, from Cairns to Toowoomba and Mount Isa. See how hard each region is to hire in, and how we help.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioner recruitment for regional employers
Hire Australia is a regional recruitment specialist. We help Aboriginal community controlled health services, primary health clinics, hospitals and remote health services across regional Australia hire registered Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioners and senior practitioners, as well as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workers. Registration, the community, the classification and the travel are part of the brief from the first conversation.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioner hiring at a glance
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Worker is rated in shortage nationally for 2026, and most job ads for Indigenous health workers are outside the major cities.1,2
- national rating for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Worker (ANZSCO 411511) in 2026
- Shortage
- Rated S (shortage) nationally on the ANZSCO 2022 sheet.1
- online job ads a month for Indigenous health workers
- 75
- Three-month average to September 2026, against 78 a year earlier.3
- of those ads were for regional areas
- 55%
- 41 of 74 ads placed in a major city or regional area, against 29% for all jobs.2
What does an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioner do, and what registration is needed?
Indigenous health workers help coordinate and deliver health care to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. The work includes clinical functions such as case management and follow-up, health education for clients and staff, counselling and referral, keeping health records, and acting as an advocate, communicator and interpreter for clients and other health workers.4
All Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioners must be registered with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practice Board of Australia and meet its registration standards.7 The award notes that Health Practitioner is a protected title, and describes a Health Practitioner as holding a Certificate IV in Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Primary Health Care Practice and current registration.6 Health worker roles that don't use the protected title are classified separately. The employer checks the public register before an offer.
Which registration and checks does an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioner need in each state?
Registration is national. Checks for work with children are run by each state; Queensland exempts a registered health practitioner working in their professional role from the blue card.8 The ACT does not require WWVP registration where the only work with vulnerable people is in a job requiring Ahpra registration.9 Unregistered health worker roles need each state's standard check.
Registration and each jurisdiction's check for work with children, as published by the issuers on 1 November 2026.
| State or territory | Registration | Check for work with children |
|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | General registration, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practice Board of Australia7 | Working with Children Check, Office of the Children's Guardian10 |
| Victoria | General registration (national) | Working with Children Clearance11 |
| Queensland | General registration (national) | Not needed for a registered practitioner in their professional role8 |
| Western Australia | General registration (national) | Working with Children Check, Department of Communities12 |
| South Australia | General registration (national) | Working with Children Check, Department of Human Services13 |
| Tasmania | General registration (national) | Registration to Work with Vulnerable People14 |
| Northern Territory | General registration (national) | Working with Children Clearance (Ochre Card)15 |
| Australian Capital Territory | General registration (national) | Not needed where the only work with vulnerable people is in a job requiring Ahpra registration; check other duties and NDIS worker clearance9 |
What does an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioner earn?
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workers and Practitioners and Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services Award covers Aboriginal community controlled health services and any employer engaging a health worker or health practitioner in its classifications. Employees under a state public sector award are outside it. A registered Health Practitioner must be classified no lower than Grade 4 Level 2, and a Senior Health Practitioner sits at Grade 5.6
From 1 July 2026 the full-time minimum at Grade 4 Level 2 is $1,449.90 a week.5 The national median for Indigenous health workers was $1,460 a week, or $42 an hour, in May 2025; that group includes health workers as well as registered practitioners.4
ACCHS Award full-time minimum rates for the Health Practitioner and Senior Health Practitioner grades, from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026.5
| Classification | Minimum a week | Minimum an hour |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 4 Level 2 (registered Health Practitioner minimum) | $1,449.905 | $38.16 |
| Grade 4 Level 3 | $1,483.40 | $39.04 |
| Grade 5 Level 1 (includes Senior Health Practitioner) | $1,518.80 | $39.97 |
Where are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioners in demand?
Job ads are published for Indigenous health workers as a group. They averaged 75 a month in the three months to September 2026. Queensland and New South Wales carry the most, with Queensland down from 29 to 23 a month and New South Wales up from 18 to 22.3
Regional areas account for 55% of ads with a location, against 29% for all jobs, and northern Australia had 13 ads a month.2 The counts are small, so a single vacancy in a remote community can take a targeted search.
Online job ads for Indigenous health workers by state and territory, three-month average to September 2026 and a year earlier.3
| State or territory | Job ads a month, September 2026 | September 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Queensland | 233 | 29 |
| New South Wales | 22 | 18 |
| Victoria | 13 | 13 |
| Western Australia | 7 | 6 |
| South Australia | 5 | 9 |
| Tasmania | 2 | 2 |
| Northern Territory | 2 | 2 |
| Australian Capital Territory | 1 | 1 |
Which roles do we recruit?
Open a setting for the work, the registration and what to put in your brief.
Aboriginal community controlled health services
Health practitioners and senior practitioners for community controlled services.
- The service
- Aboriginal community controlled health services are incorporated Aboriginal organisations, governed by a board elected by the local Aboriginal community, delivering holistic and culturally appropriate health and wellbeing services.6
- Award position
- These services are covered by the ACCHS Award, with registered Health Practitioners at Grade 4 Level 2 or above.6
- Registration
- National registration with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practice Board of Australia.7
- What to tell us
- Your programs and clinics, the communities served, after-hours or on-call work, supervision and the classification you have budgeted.
Remote and primary health clinics
Practitioners for remote clinics and primary health care.
- The work
- Case management and follow-up, independently or with other health care providers, plus health education and referral.4
- Scope
- Under the award an Advanced Health Worker or Health Practitioner may work as a sole practitioner remote from the health service.6
- Shortage
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Worker is rated in shortage nationally for 2026.1
- What to tell us
- Clinic location and access, housing, the team on site, the medicines and procedures in scope, and the travel between communities.
Hospitals and health services
Practitioners and health workers in hospital and community health teams.
- The work
- Acting as communicator and interpreter for clients and other health workers, providing cultural education, and supporting care and discharge.4
- Award position
- Employees under a state public sector award are outside the ACCHS Award, so public health service pay is set under the state's own instruments.6
- Checks
- Queensland exempts a registered practitioner in their professional role from the blue card; unregistered health worker roles need the standard check.8
- What to tell us
- Wards or programs, whether the role needs registration or is a health worker role, the team and the community links you want.
How we help you hire an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioner
You make the hiring decision and employ the person directly. We handle the search and the organising in between.
Community, housing and relocation
Tell us which communities the role serves, who the person will work with and report to, and how the service supports cultural and family commitments. We put them in the brief.
We search first among practitioners who already live in or have ties to your region, then among those open to a move. Housing support matters most for remote roles. If the right person needs a visa or sponsorship, our sister business Australian Immigration Agency can advise.
Looking for a health practitioner or health worker role in the regions?
Register with Hire Australia and tell us your registration, the programs and communities you have worked with, and where you would like to work. Registered practitioners, senior practitioners and health workers are welcome, and we will talk with you about roles that fit.
Talk to us about your next Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioner hire
Tell us the role, the service, the communities, the location and your start date.
Employers pay nothing until the successful candidate has started and stayed two months. Candidates never pay for recruitment.
A FEW PRACTICAL QUESTIONS
Good to know.
Does an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioner need to be registered?
Yes. All Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioners must be registered with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practice Board of Australia,7 and Health Practitioner is a protected title.6 Health worker roles that don't use the title are classified separately. You check registration on the public register; Hire Australia builds it into the brief and asks every candidate.
What does a registered health practitioner earn under the award?
Where the ACCHS Award covers the role, a registered Health Practitioner is classified no lower than Grade 4 Level 2,6 which from 1 July 2026 pays at least $1,449.90 a week full time.5 The median for Indigenous health workers was $1,460 a week in May 2025.4 Hire Australia benchmarks your offer against both.
What is the difference between a health worker and a health practitioner?
Both help coordinate and deliver health care to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.4 A Health Practitioner holds a Certificate IV in Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Primary Health Care Practice and current Board registration, and uses a protected title.6 Hire Australia agrees with you which the role needs before the search starts.
Are health practitioners hard to find for regional roles?
Yes. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Worker is rated in shortage nationally for 2026,1 and only 1,200 people were employed as Indigenous health workers in February 2026.4 Hire Australia starts with practitioners who have ties to your region and community, then reaches those open to a move.
What does it cost to use Hire Australia?
Employers pay nothing until the successful candidate has started and stayed two months. Candidates never pay for recruitment. You employ the person directly, and we agree the terms with you in writing before the search begins. The same terms apply to every health practitioner and health worker role Hire Australia recruits, from health workers to senior practitioners.
Does Hire Australia supply labour hire or temporary staff?
No. Hire Australia recruits people you employ directly, in permanent roles. We don’t supply labour hire or temps, and candidates never work on our payroll. We search for and screen people for your vacancy, introduce the ones who fit, and you make the offer and employ them. That keeps the working relationship between you and your new employee from day one.
Sources (15)
- Jobs and Skills Australia, 2026 Occupation Shortage List (ANZSCO 2022 sheet). National ratings for 6-digit ANZSCO 2022 occupations, October 2026. S shortage, R regional shortage, NS no shortage. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Jobs and Skills Australia, Internet Vacancy Index, 4-digit occupations by remoteness (major cities and regional), September 2026. Online job ads, three-month moving average to September 2026; SA4 regions grouped as major city or regional. Counts ads, not jobs. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Jobs and Skills Australia, Internet Vacancy Index, 4-digit occupations by state and territory, September 2026. Online job ads, three-month moving average to September 2026 (released 21 October 2026), rounded. Counts ads, not jobs. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Jobs and Skills Australia, ANZSCO occupation data, February 2026 (occupation descriptions, earnings and employment). Median full-time earnings: ABS Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, national; 4-digit occupation groups. Employment: February 2026, trend. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Fair Work Ombudsman, Pay guide, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workers and Practitioners and Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services Award [MA000115], published 23 October 2026. Health workers table; rates from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Fair Work Commission, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workers and Practitioners and ACCHS Award 2020 [MA000115], clauses 4 and 16. Coverage clause 4.1; state public sector awards excluded (4.5(d)); Health Practitioner no lower than Grade 4 Level 2 (A.2.8). Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practice Board of Australia, Registration. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Blue Card Services, Queensland Government, Blue cards for registered health practitioners (last updated 3 September 2026). Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Access Canberra, ACT Government, Working with Vulnerable People (WWVP) scheme. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Office of the Children's Guardian, Working with Children Check. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Working with Children Check Victoria, Victorian Government, Working with Children Check (Working with Children Clearance). Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Department of Communities, Government of Western Australia, Department of Communities (WA), Working with Children Check (last updated 22 September 2026). Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Department of Human Services, South Australia, SA.GOV.AU, Screening checks (Working with Children Check; last updated 29 June 2026). Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Department of Justice, Tasmania, Department of Justice (Tasmania), Registration to Work with Vulnerable People. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- SAFE NT, Northern Territory Government, NT.GOV.AU, Working with Children Clearance (Ochre Card): apply and renew. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑