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.
Midwife recruitment for regional employers
Hire Australia is a regional recruitment specialist. We help public and private hospitals, birthing services and community maternity programs across regional Australia hire midwives, from graduates to experienced midwives, clinical midwife consultants and midwifery unit managers. Registration, the model of care and on-call arrangements are part of the search from the first conversation.
Midwife hiring at a glance
Midwives are in national shortage, and job ads for them rose sharply in the past year.
- national rating for Midwife in 2026
- Shortage
- Rated in shortage nationally on the 2026 list, where the evidence was rated clear.1
- online job ads a month for midwives
- 275
- Three-month average to September 2026, up from 205 a year earlier.2
- of those ads were for regional areas
- 34%
- 77 of 227 ads a month with a location, against 29% of all job ads.3
- of midwives work full-time hours
- 43%
- Against 69% across all occupations. 19,400 people worked as midwives in February 2026.4
What does a midwife do, and what must they hold?
Midwives care for women through pregnancy, labour and birth, and give postnatal care to women and babies in hospitals, clinics, the community and the home.4 In a regional hospital the same midwife may cover the birth suite, the postnatal ward and antenatal clinics in one roster.
To practise, a midwife needs general registration on the national register for midwives, which is separate from the register for nurses. Ahpra keeps both for the Nursing and Midwifery Board. Some people hold registration as both a nurse and a midwife.5 An endorsement for scheduled medicines identifies midwives qualified to prescribe schedule 2, 3, 4 and 8 medicines for midwifery practice, under the law of their state or territory.5,6
Which registration and checks does a midwife need in each state?
Registration is national, so a midwife moving from another state needs no second registration. Checks for work with children are set by each state and territory, which decides who needs one and any exemptions, so confirm the rule for your service with the issuer.
Registration for midwives, and the check for work with children issued in each state and territory, as published by each issuer on 1 November 2026.
| State or territory | Midwife registration | Check for work with children, and issuer |
|---|---|---|
| All states and territories | General registration on the national register for midwives; one registration covers every state5 | Set by each state, as below |
| New South Wales | National registration, as above | Working with Children Check, Office of the Children's Guardian7 |
| Victoria | National registration, as above | Working with Children Check, Victorian Government8 |
| Queensland | National registration, as above | Blue card (working with children check), Queensland Government9 |
| South Australia | National registration, as above | Working with Children Check, Department of Human Services10 |
| Western Australia | National registration, as above | Working with Children Check, Department of Communities11 |
| Tasmania | National registration, as above | Registration to work with vulnerable people, Department of Justice12 |
| Northern Territory | National registration, as above | Working with Children Clearance (Ochre Card), Northern Territory Government13 |
| Australian Capital Territory | National registration, as above | Working with Vulnerable People registration, Access Canberra14 |
What does a midwife earn?
The Nurses Award 2020 covers midwives as well as nurses: its definition of nursing care includes care provided by midwives.15 Where the award covers the role, a midwife on registered nurse level 1, pay point 1 earns at least $1,219.50 a week, or $32.09 an hour, from 1 July 2026, and level 1 reaches $1,465.50 at pay point 8.15
Public hospital midwives are paid under their state's own instrument covering nurses and midwives. New South Wales applies the Public Health System Nurses' and Midwives' (State) Award 2025, with a 3% rise from 1 July 2026.16 Queensland Health uses its EB12 certified agreement for nurses and midwives,17 Victoria a public sector agreement for nurses and midwives running to 2028,18 and Western Australia its 2024 agreement for registered nurses and midwives.19
Midwives had median full-time earnings of $2,114 a week, or $56 an hour, in May 2025, nationally.4 No regional pay series exists for the occupation, so we talk with you about the rate, on-call payments, allowances and housing that will compete for your location.
Where are midwives in demand?
New South Wales carries the most midwife job ads, and its ads rose most in the year, from 53 to 90 a month. Across Australia, ads rose from 205 to 275 a month in the year to September 2026.2 Ads for regional areas rose from 70 to 77 a month.3
The numbers are small, so a single rural maternity unit recruiting can move a state's count.
Online job ads for midwives by state (three-month average to September 2026 and a year earlier) and each state's share of midwives employed (February 2026).2,4
What to tell us about your midwife role
Tell us about the service first: the number of births each year, the model of care (standard care, midwifery group practice, caseload or continuity of care), and whether the role covers the birth suite, antenatal and postnatal care or all three. Then the level, from a graduate who needs support to a clinical midwife or unit manager.
The practical details shape who will apply: on-call and recall arrangements, night duty, neonatal resuscitation or theatre skills, whether the role needs registration as a nurse as well, any endorsement for scheduled medicines, and travel between towns or outreach clinics.
How we help you hire a midwife
You make the hiring decision and employ the person directly. We handle the search and the organising in between.
On-call, relocation and regional postings
Only 43% of midwives work full-time hours,4 so part-time and shared positions widen the field. Tell us the on-call load early. We start with midwives who already live in or have ties to your region, then widen the search to people planning a move.
Tell us early about housing, relocation costs, on-call payments and any rural or remote allowance. We raise them in the first conversation.
If the right person needs a visa or sponsorship, our sister business Australian Immigration Agency can advise.
Looking for a midwifery role in the regions?
Register with Hire Australia and tell us your registration, the models of care you have worked in and where you would like to work. Graduate and experienced midwives are welcome, and we will talk with you about roles that fit.
Talk to us about your next midwife hire
Tell us the role, the service, the location and the roster.
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 midwife need separate registration from a nurse?
Yes. There is a national register for nurses and a separate national register for midwives, both kept by Ahpra for the Nursing and Midwifery Board, and some people hold both registrations.5 Either registration covers every state. If your role needs both, Hire Australia includes that in the brief and asks candidates which registrations they hold.
Which award covers midwives, and what is the minimum rate?
The Nurses Award 2020 covers midwives.15 Where it applies, the minimum at registered nurse level 1, pay point 1 is $1,219.50 a week from 1 July 2026.15 Public hospitals pay under state instruments. Midwives' national median full-time pay was $2,114 a week in May 2025.4 Hire Australia talks through your pay range and on-call payments early.
How hard is it to recruit a midwife in a regional area?
Midwife is rated in shortage nationally for 2026.1 Online ads for midwives rose from 205 to 275 a month in the year to September 2026, and 77 a month were for regional areas.2,3 Hire Australia plans regional midwifery searches around your model of care, on-call load and start date.
Does a midwife need a working with children check?
It depends on the state or territory and the role. Each one runs its own check for work with children and sets who needs one, such as Queensland's blue card or the Northern Territory's Ochre Card.9,13 Hire Australia builds the checks into the brief and asks candidates which they hold; you complete the formal screening as the employer.
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 fee terms are the same whether Hire Australia recruits a graduate midwife or a midwifery unit manager.
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 (19)
- Jobs and Skills Australia, 2026 Occupation Shortage List (6-digit ANZSCO 2022 and OSCA 2024 sheets). National ratings from the ANZSCO 2022 sheet, matching the ANZSCO job-ad and earnings groups beside them. In shortage means rated S (shortage) or R (regional shortage). Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Jobs and Skills Australia, Internet Vacancy Index, ANZSCO 4-digit occupations by state and territory. Data: Three-month average to September 2026; counts online job ads, not jobs filled. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Jobs and Skills Australia, Internet Vacancy Index, ANZSCO 4-digit occupations by JSA remoteness. Data: Three-month average to September 2026; counts online job ads, not jobs filled. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Jobs and Skills Australia, Occupation data download, ANZSCO occupation profiles. Data: February 2026. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, Fact sheet: Registration as a nurse or a midwife. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, Endorsements and notations. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Office of the Children's Guardian (NSW), Working with Children Check. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Victorian Government, Working with Children Check. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Queensland Government, Blue cards for working with children. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Government of South Australia, Department of Human Services, Working with Children Checks. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Government of Western Australia, Department of Communities, Working with Children Check. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Department of Justice (Tasmania), Registration to work with vulnerable people (includes the NDIS Worker Screening Check). Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Northern Territory Government, Working with Children Clearance: apply and renew. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Access Canberra, Working with Vulnerable People. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Fair Work Commission, Nurses Award 2020 [MA000034], consolidated award text: clause 15.1 rates from 1 July 2026, clause 15.3 aged care enrolled and registered nurse rates from 1 August 2026, clause 17 allowances (not…. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- NSW Health, Information Bulletin IB2026_018: Increased rates of pay and allowances for nursing and midwifery staff (26 May 2026). Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Queensland Health, Nursing stream wage rates (from the NMEB12 agreement, schedule 1). Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- The Royal Melbourne Hospital, Nurses and Midwives salary circular 870 (Victorian public sector single interest employer agreement 2024-2028), 3 September 2024. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- WA Health, WA Health System and Australian Nursing Federation registered nurses and midwives industrial agreement 2024 (2025 WAIRC 00098). Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑