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.
Clinical coder recruitment for regional hospitals
Hire Australia is a regional recruitment specialist. We help public and private hospitals, day surgeries and health services across regional Australia hire clinical coders, from qualified coders building their experience to senior coders who audit and educate a team. Coding feeds hospital funding and data, so we search for accuracy, current classification knowledge and the right experience for your casemix.
Clinical coder hiring at a glance
Clinical coding is a small workforce with a median age over 50, and the occupation is rated in shortage.
- national rating for Clinical Coder in 2026
- Shortage
- In shortage means rated S (shortage) or R (regional shortage); Clinical Coder is rated S.2
- people worked as clinical coders
- 1,600
- In 2021, the latest count for this occupation; 91% were women.1
- median age of clinical coders
- 51
- In 2021, the latest count for this occupation.1
- when the Thirteenth Edition classification updates took effect
- 1 July 2025
- Coders confirm they can apply them through a certification update exam.4
What does a clinical coder do?
Clinical coders assign codes to narrative descriptions of patients' diseases, operations and procedures, using recognised classification systems, so health data can be stored, retrieved and analysed.1 The codes form part of a data collection used for research, funding and healthcare planning, and all public and private hospitals require clinical coding.4
The work means reading patient records, abstracting the key information, choosing the right codes and entering them, and it can involve asking clinical staff to clarify what has been documented.4 In Australia, coders use the ICD-10-AM, ACHI and ACS classification, and its Thirteenth Edition updates were introduced on 1 July 2025.4
Licences, tickets and certifications for clinical coders
Clinical coders hold no licence or registration. Employers ask for a recognised coding qualification and current classification knowledge.
What a clinical coder holds, and who issues it, opened 1 November 2026.
| Item | What it means for the hire |
|---|---|
| Registration | No registration: clinical coding is not one of the 15 national health practitioner boards5 |
| HLT50321 Diploma of Clinical Coding | The current national qualification; it prepares students to code from moderately complex health records4,6 |
| ICD-10-AM, ACHI and ACS courses | Introductory and intermediate coding courses, and an advanced course for coders who educate and audit others4 |
| Thirteenth Edition Certification Update Exam | Confirms a coder can apply the classification updates introduced on 1 July 20254 |
| Medical terminology | A comprehensive medical terminology course carries credit towards the diploma4 |
What does a clinical coder earn?
The Health Professionals and Support Services Award does not name clinical coders in its indicative lists, so a coder's classification depends on their duties and qualifications. Two listed roles give reference points: a Health Information Manager is listed at AQF level 7, 8 or 9, with a first-year AQF level 7 minimum of $1,308.80 a week from 1 October 2026, and a medical records clerk is listed at Support Services Level 4, $1,119.10 a week from 1 July 2026.3 Coders under a state public sector award fall outside it.3
No median is published for clinical coders. Their wider occupation group, other miscellaneous clerical and administrative workers, mixes unrelated occupations, so we don't quote its median.1 We talk with you about the salary, the coding volume and productivity you expect, and the support for continuing education.
Reference points from the award, not clinical coder classifications: full-time minimum weekly and hourly rates.3
| Listed award role | Minimum a week | Minimum an hour |
|---|---|---|
| Health Information Manager, AQF level 7, 1st year (from 1 October 2026) | $1,308.803 | $34.44 |
| Clerk (medical records), Support Services Level 4 (from 1 July 2026) | $1,119.10 | $29.45 |
Are clinical coders in shortage?
Yes. Clinical Coder is rated in shortage for 2026.2 The workforce is small, with 1,600 people in 2021, and its median age was 51.1 Job ads for coders are not published on their own: they are counted with unrelated clerical occupations, so we don't quote a count.1
With a small pool to draw on, tell us whether the role must be on site or could be partly remote, because that decides how widely we can search.
Which clinical coding roles do we recruit?
Open a role for its qualifications, pay reference points and what to put in your brief.
Clinical coders
Coders for admitted patient episodes in public and private hospitals.
Qualified coders building experience
Coders who hold a recognised coding qualification and are building experience across casemixes.
- Background
- A background in nursing, other health services or medical reception may help a coder's work.4
- Courses
- Intermediate courses build the skills to code complex medical records.4
- Workforce
- 59% of clinical coders worked full-time in 2021.1
- What to tell us
- The supervision and auditing on offer, the continuing education budget, and the casemix the coder will take on first.
Senior coders, auditors and educators
Experienced coders who audit, educate and lead a coding team.
- Courses
- An advanced course develops the skills to educate, audit and support less experienced coders.4
- Complex coding
- A unit of competency covers highly complex clinical coding for experienced coders.4
- Award reference point
- A Health Information Manager is listed at AQF level 7, 8 or 9, where the award covers the role.3
- What to tell us
- The team size, audit and education duties, data quality targets and reporting to health information management.
What to put in your brief for a clinical coder
Start with the casemix: the specialties, day-only or overnight episodes, and the volume each week. Then the qualification you need, and whether the coder must hold the Thirteenth Edition update.
Tell us the software and encoder, the audit and education arrangements, the days and hours, whether the role is on site, hybrid or remote, and any relocation help for an on-site role.
How we help you hire a clinical coder
You make the hiring decision and employ the person directly. We handle the search and the organising in between.
Regional hospitals and remote options
We search first among coders who live in or near your region, then widen to coders elsewhere if the role allows hybrid or remote work, or if you can support a move. Tell us early which arrangements you will consider.
No registration applies, so a coder moving between states only needs to meet your requirements.5 If the right person needs a visa or sponsorship, our sister business Australian Immigration Agency can advise.
Looking for a clinical coding role in the regions?
Register with Hire Australia and tell us your coding qualification, the casemix you know, your classification currency and where or how you would like to work. Coders at every level are welcome, and we will talk with you about roles that fit.
Talk to us about your next clinical coder hire
Tell us the role, the hospital, the working arrangement 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 a clinical coder need a licence or registration?
No. Clinical coding is not one of the national health practitioner boards.5 Employers look for a recognised coding qualification such as HLT50321 Diploma of Clinical Coding.6 Hire Australia builds your qualification and classification currency requirements into the brief and asks every candidate for evidence of their training.
What is the award rate for a clinical coder in 2026?
The Health Professionals and Support Services Award does not name clinical coders, so the classification depends on duties and qualifications. For reference, a medical records clerk is listed at $1,119.10 a week from 1 July 2026.3 No median is published for coders.1 Hire Australia talks through your salary range early.
Are clinical coders in shortage?
Yes. Clinical Coder is rated in shortage for 2026.2 Only 1,600 people worked as clinical coders in 2021, with a median age of 51.1 Hire Australia plans each regional search around your casemix and the working arrangements you can offer.
What is the Thirteenth Edition update for clinical coders?
The Thirteenth Edition of ICD-10-AM, ACHI and ACS brought classification updates into use in Australia on 1 July 2025. A certification update exam confirms a coder can apply them.4 Hire Australia asks candidates whether they hold the update when you need it.
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 whether Hire Australia recruits a clinical coder or a coding auditor.
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 (6)
- Jobs and Skills Australia, ANZSCO occupation data, February 2026 (occupation descriptions, earnings and employment). Medians: ABS Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, national, 4-digit groups. Employment: 4-digit February 2026, trend; 6-digit occupations, 2021 Census. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Jobs and Skills Australia, 2026 Occupation Shortage List (ANZSCO 2022 sheet). National ratings, files dated October 2026, ANZSCO 2022 coding. "In shortage" means rated S (shortage) or R (regional shortage). Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Fair Work Commission, Health Professionals and Support Services Award 2020 [MA000027], clauses 4, 16, 17 and Schedules A and B. Consolidated award incorporating amendments to 1 October 2026 (PR814029). Coverage: clause 4; state public sector awards excluded (clause 4.6). Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Health Information Management Association of Australia (HIMAA), Education services (HLT50321 Diploma of Clinical Coding; ICD-10-AM/ACHI/ACS courses; Thirteenth Edition Certification Update Exam; careers in clinical…. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra), National Boards (the 15 National Boards). Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- training.gov.au, HLT50321 Diploma of Clinical Coding (release 2, 2 July 2021; current). Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑