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.
Optometrist recruitment for regional employers
Hire Australia is a regional recruitment specialist. We help independent optometry practices, optical groups, ophthalmology clinics and community eye health services across regional Australia hire optometrists and orthoptists, from graduates to experienced clinicians. Registration, therapeutic endorsement and the realities of a regional practice are part of the search from the first conversation.
Optometrist hiring at a glance
Job ads for optometrists and orthoptists rose sharply over the past year, and almost half of them are outside the major cities.
- online job ads a month for optometrists and orthoptists
- 105
- Three-month average to September 2026, up from 76 a year earlier.1
- of those ads were for regional areas
- 47%
- 49 of 104 ads placed in a major city or regional area, against 29% of all job ads.2
- optometrists held general registration
- 7,356
- At 30 June 2026, across Australia.3
- of them are endorsed for scheduled medicines
- 81%
- 5,975 general registrants at 30 June 2026.3
What does an optometrist do, and which registration do they hold?
Optometrists examine eyes and test vision to find visual, eye and general health problems, then prescribe lenses, other optical aids, therapy and medication to correct and manage vision and eye disease.5
All optometrists practising in Australia must be registered with the Optometry Board of Australia, and registration is national.6 An optometrist with general registration can also hold an endorsement for scheduled medicines. It qualifies them to prescribe and supply the topical medicines on the Board's approved list.7 Optometrist isn't rated in shortage for 2026, while Orthoptist is.4
Which registration and endorsement does an optometrist hold in each state?
Registration and the scheduled medicines endorsement are national, so an optometrist can move between states without registering again. The share of optometrists with the endorsement differs by state, from 74% in New South Wales to 91% in the Northern Territory.3
Optometrists with general registration and the share endorsed for scheduled medicines, by principal place of practice, at 30 June 2026.
| State or territory | Registration | Optometrists with general registration | Share endorsed for scheduled medicines |
|---|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | National registration with the Optometry Board of Australia6 | 2,3163 | 74% |
| Victoria | National registration with the Optometry Board of Australia6 | 2,0203 | 89% |
| Queensland | National registration with the Optometry Board of Australia6 | 1,4683 | 81% |
| Western Australia | National registration with the Optometry Board of Australia6 | 6593 | 80% |
| South Australia | National registration with the Optometry Board of Australia6 | 5163 | 87% |
| Tasmania | National registration with the Optometry Board of Australia6 | 1283 | 89% |
| Northern Territory | National registration with the Optometry Board of Australia6 | 433 | 91% |
| Australian Capital Territory | National registration with the Optometry Board of Australia6 | 1363 | 84% |
What does an optometrist earn?
The Health Professionals and Support Services Award covers employers that deliver health care and their health professional employees, apart from medical practitioners and anyone under a state public sector award.8 Its list of professions doesn't name optometrists. Where the award covers the role, an optometrist is classified by the AQF level of the profession's standard entry qualification. A first-year minimum is $1,308.80 a week at AQF level 7, or $1,444.90 at AQF level 9, from 1 October 2026.8
No national median is published for optometrists: the May 2025 earnings data mark the optometrists and orthoptists group as not available.5 We talk with you about the salary, any regional allowance and the housing help that will compete for your location, and we don't treat advertised packages as the norm.
Health Professional employee Level 1, full-time minimum weekly rates by AQF level and years of experience, from the first full pay period on or after 1 October 2026.8
| AQF level of the entry qualification | 1st year a week | 4th to 6th year a week | 7th year and after a week |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level 7 | $1,308.808 | $1,565.30 | $1,689.50 |
| Level 9 | $1,444.90 | $1,659.30 | $1,755.00 |
Where are optometrists in demand?
Job ads for optometrists and orthoptists rose from 76 to 105 a month across Australia in the year to September 2026. Victoria's ads more than doubled, from 9 to 19, and Queensland's rose from 16 to 26.1
Regional ads rose from 37 to 49 a month. They made up 47% of the group's ads with a location, against 29% of all job ads.2
Online job ads for optometrists and orthoptists by state and territory, three-month average to September 2026 and a year earlier. Small counts move with a single employer.1
| State or territory | Job ads a month, September 2026 | September 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | 331 | 28 |
| Queensland | 26 | 16 |
| Victoria | 19 | 9 |
| South Australia | 11 | 11 |
| Western Australia | 9 | 9 |
| Tasmania | 4 | 1 |
| Northern Territory | 2 | 0 |
| Australian Capital Territory | 1 | 1 |
Which eye care roles do we recruit?
Open a role for its registration, rating and what to put in your brief.
Optometrists in independent and group practices
Optometrists for independent practices, optical groups and regional clinics.
- Registration
- National registration with the Optometry Board of Australia.6
- Shortage
- Optometrist isn't rated in shortage for 2026; in shortage means rated S or R.4
- Demand
- 49 job ads a month for optometrists and orthoptists were in regional areas in the three months to September 2026.2
- What to tell us
- Your patient mix, the equipment (such as OCT and visual fields), the clinic days and hours, Saturday sessions, and the support from dispensers and other optometrists.
Therapeutic optometrists
Optometrists endorsed to prescribe scheduled medicines, for clinics that manage eye disease.
- Endorsement
- Endorsement for scheduled medicines under the Board's registration standard, limited to its approved list of topical medicines.7
- Who holds it
- 99.7% of general registrants aged 30 to 34 are endorsed, against 48.1% of those aged 55 to 59.3
- Pay
- Award minimum: $1,308.80 a week at AQF level 7, 1st year, where the award covers the role (from 1 October 2026). Market median: none published for this group.5,8
- What to tell us
- The therapeutic work involved, glaucoma or other co-management with ophthalmologists, and referral pathways in your area.
Orthoptists
Orthoptists for ophthalmology clinics, hospitals and eye health services.
- Registration
- Orthoptists aren't registered through Ahpra. Registration with the Australian Orthoptic Board isn't compulsory to practise, but it's needed for Medicare and private health funds, and many employers require it.9
- Shortage
- Orthoptist is rated in shortage for 2026.4
- Pay
- The award lists orthoptists at AQF level 8 or 9: a first-year minimum of $1,337.10 or $1,444.90 a week from 1 October 2026, where the award covers the role. No national median is published.5,8
- What to tell us
- The clinic and the ophthalmologists the orthoptist supports, the imaging and testing involved, paediatric work, and any outreach clinics.
What to tell us about your optometrist role
Start with the practice: independent or group, the patient base, the equipment and the clinicians already there. Then the level you need, from a graduate who wants support to an experienced optometrist who can run the clinical side or manage eye disease with local ophthalmologists.
The practical details decide a regional move: the days and hours, Saturday trading, relocation and housing help, and how often the role visits outreach clinics.
How we help you hire an optometrist
You make the hiring decision and employ the person directly. We handle the search and the organising in between.
Relocation and regional practice
We talk through the clinical caseload, any work with visiting ophthalmologists and the practical side of a move with every optometrist we approach. Tell us early about relocation costs, housing, mentoring and continuing education support, so we can put them in front of candidates.
We search first among optometrists who already live in or have ties to your region, then among those planning a move. National registration means an optometrist moving from interstate can start once you have checked their registration and endorsement.6 If the right person needs a visa or sponsorship, our sister business Australian Immigration Agency can advise.
Looking for an optometry role in the regions?
Register with Hire Australia and tell us your registration, whether you hold the scheduled medicines endorsement, the work you enjoy and where you would like to practise. Graduate and experienced optometrists and orthoptists are welcome, and we will talk with you about roles that fit.
Talk to us about your next optometrist hire
Tell us the role, the practice, 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 optometrist from another state need to register again?
No. Registration with the Optometry Board of Australia is national, and so is the endorsement for scheduled medicines, so one registration covers every state and territory.6,7 Hire Australia asks every optometrist about their registration and endorsement, and you complete the formal check against the public register.
How many optometrists can prescribe eye medicines?
At 30 June 2026, 5,975 of 7,356 optometrists with general registration, or 81%, held the endorsement for scheduled medicines. Almost all younger optometrists hold it: 99.7% of those aged 30 to 34.3 Hire Australia asks every candidate whether they are endorsed when therapeutic work is part of the role.
What is the award rate for an optometrist in 2026?
Where the Health Professionals and Support Services Award covers the role, a first-year optometrist's minimum is $1,308.80 a week at AQF level 7, or $1,444.90 at AQF level 9, from 1 October 2026.8 No national median is published for optometrists.5 Hire Australia talks through your salary range before the search starts.
How hard is it to recruit an optometrist in a regional area?
Demand is rising. Job ads for optometrists and orthoptists averaged 105 a month in the three months to September 2026, up from 76, and 49 a month were for regional areas.1,2 Optometrist isn't rated in shortage for 2026.4 Hire Australia plans each regional search around your practice and start date.
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 graduate optometrist, a therapeutic optometrist or an orthoptist.
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 (9)
- 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, 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; unclassified ads excluded. Counts ads, not jobs. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Optometry Board of Australia, Registrant data, 1 April to 30 June 2026 (Tables 1.1, 1.4 and 1.5). Registrants at 30 June 2026 by principal place of practice; endorsement for scheduled medicines among general registrants. 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 ↑
- 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 ↑
- Optometry Board of Australia, Registration ("All optometrists practising in Australia must be registered with the Optometry Board of Australia"). Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Optometry Board of Australia, Registration standard: endorsement for scheduled medicines (section 94 of the National Law) and Board-approved medicines list. 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 ↑
- Orthoptics Australia, Professional registration (Australian Orthoptic Board; registration not compulsory to practise, but needed for Medicare and health funds). Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑