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.
Sterilisation technician 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 sterilisation technicians for their sterilising services departments, from qualified technicians to experienced staff who can lead a shift. Reprocessing standards and instrument knowledge shape every search we run.
Sterilisation technician hiring at a glance
Sterilisation technicians are a small workforce, and the national qualification was renewed in October 2026.
- people worked as sterilisation technicians
- 4,800
- In 2021, the latest count for this occupation; 67% were women.1
- median age of sterilisation technicians
- 50
- In 2021, the latest count for this occupation.1
- release date of HLT37026 Certificate III in Sterilisation Services
- 20 October 2026
- It replaced HLT37015.5
- national rating for Sterilisation Technician in 2026
- Not in shortage
- Rated NS on the ANZSCO 2022 sheet.2
What does a sterilisation technician do?
Sterilisation technicians clean, sterilise and package surgical instruments and other hospital equipment, soft goods and linen in a sterilisation service facility.1 The award's indicative roles call this CSSD work, from CSSD attendant to qualified instrument technician.3
The work follows a national standard. AS 5369:2023, Reprocessing of reusable medical devices and other devices in health and non-health related facilities, replaced AS/NZS 4187:2014 and AS/NZS 4815:2006, and it is the standard health services commonly use for the reprocessing action in the national safety and quality standards.4
Licences, tickets and certifications for sterilisation technicians
Sterilisation technicians hold no licence or registration. Employers ask for the Certificate III, reprocessing experience and knowledge of the current standard.
What a sterilisation technician holds, and who sets it, opened 1 November 2026.
| Item | What it means for the hire |
|---|---|
| Registration | No registration: sterilisation is not one of the 15 national health practitioner boards6 |
| HLT37026 Certificate III in Sterilisation Services | The current national qualification, released 20 October 2026; it replaced HLT370155 |
| Award classification | A qualified instrument technician is an indicative Level 4 role; Level 4 may require formal qualifications or training at Certificate III level3 |
| AS 5369:2023 | The national reprocessing standard; it superseded AS/NZS 4187:2014 and has no compliance timeframes of its own4 |
What does a sterilisation technician earn?
The Health Professionals and Support Services Award lists CSSD attendant as an indicative Level 1 role, instrument technician at Levels 2 and 3, and qualified instrument technician at Level 4. Where the award covers the role, the full-time minimum runs from $1,024.70 a week at Level 1 to $1,119.10 at Level 4, from 1 July 2026.3 Technicians under a state public sector award fall outside it.3
No median is published for sterilisation technicians. Their wider occupation group, other machine operators, is mostly unrelated manufacturing work, so we don't quote its median.1 We talk with you about the rate, shift and weekend penalties under your award or agreement, and what will compete locally.
Support Services employee Levels 1 to 4, full-time minimum weekly and hourly rates, from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026.3
| Award level and indicative role | Minimum a week | Minimum an hour |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1, CSSD attendant (entry level) | $1,024.703 | $26.97 |
| Level 2, instrument technician | $1,065.20 | $28.03 |
| Level 3, instrument technician | $1,106.20 | $29.11 |
| Level 4, instrument technician (qualified) | $1,119.10 | $29.45 |
Are sterilisation technicians in shortage?
Not nationally. Sterilisation Technician is rated not in shortage for 2026.2 The workforce is small, with 4,800 people in 2021, 58% of them full-time, and its median age was 50.1 Job ads are not published for the occupation on its own: it is counted with unrelated machine operators, so we don't quote a count.1
With a small workforce to draw on, tell us early whether you will consider a qualified technician moving from another town, or an experienced CSSD attendant.
Which sterilisation roles do we recruit?
Open a role for its classification, pay and what to put in your brief.
Qualified sterilisation technicians
Technicians who hold the Certificate III and reprocess instruments for theatres and clinics.
- Qualification
- HLT37026 Certificate III in Sterilisation Services, or the HLT37015 it replaced.5
- Pay
- Award minimum: $1,119.10 a week (qualified instrument technician, Level 4, from 1 July 2026), where the award covers the role. No market median is published.1,3
- Standard
- AS 5369:2023 is the national reprocessing standard.4
- What to tell us
- The theatres and specialties you supply, the washers, sterilisers and tracking system, the shift pattern and weekend cover.
CSSD attendants
Attendants who support the technicians in the department.
- Award level
- CSSD attendant is an indicative Level 1 role; Level 1 covers employees with less than 3 months' industry experience.3
- Pay
- Award minimum: $1,024.70 a week (Level 1, from 1 July 2026).3
- Rating
- Sterilisation Technician is rated not in shortage for 2026.2
- What to tell us
- The duties, the supervision on site, the experience you need and the hours.
Senior technicians and shift leads
Experienced technicians who lead a shift or support quality and compliance.
- Compliance
- Health services assess their reprocessing systems against AS 5369:2023 for accreditation.4
- Workforce
- 58% of sterilisation technicians worked full-time in 2021.1
- Award level
- Instrument technician (qualified) is listed at Level 4, $1,119.10 a week.3
- What to tell us
- The staff on the shift, quality and audit duties, the accreditation timetable, and any loan set or supplier coordination.
What to put in your brief for a sterilisation technician
Start with the department: the theatres and clinics it supplies, the equipment and tracking system, and the volume. Then say whether the Certificate III is essential and how much experience you need with your instrument sets.
Tell us the shifts, weekend and on-call cover, the checks your organisation requires, and any relocation help. Say plainly whether the role is full-time or part-time.
How we help you hire a sterilisation technician
You make the hiring decision and employ the person directly. We handle the search and the organising in between.
Local hires and relocation
We search first in and around your town, then among qualified technicians open to a move, and raise relocation help early when the role needs someone from outside the area.
No registration applies, so a technician moving between states only needs to meet your requirements.6 If the right person needs a visa or sponsorship, our sister business Australian Immigration Agency can advise.
Looking for a sterilisation role in the regions?
Register with Hire Australia and tell us your certificate, the departments and equipment you know, the shifts you want and where you would like to work. Qualified technicians and experienced attendants are welcome, and we will talk with you about roles that fit.
Talk to us about your next sterilisation technician hire
Tell us the role, the department, the shifts 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 sterilisation technician need a licence?
No. Sterilisation technicians are not registered by a national board, and no licence applies.6 The national qualification is HLT37026 Certificate III in Sterilisation Services, released in October 2026.5 Hire Australia builds your qualification requirements into the brief and asks every candidate for evidence of their certificate.
What is the award rate for a sterilisation technician in 2026?
Where the Health Professionals and Support Services Award covers the role, a qualified instrument technician at Level 4 earns at least $1,119.10 a week, and a CSSD attendant at Level 1 $1,024.70, from 1 July 2026.3 No median is published for the occupation.1 Hire Australia talks through your rate early.
What changed with the sterilisation qualification in 2026?
HLT37026 Certificate III in Sterilisation Services was released on 20 October 2026 and replaced HLT37015.5 Technicians who trained under the earlier certificate still hold a recognised qualification. Hire Australia asks candidates which certificate they hold and how long they have worked in reprocessing.
Which reprocessing standard should a technician know?
AS 5369:2023, which superseded AS/NZS 4187:2014 and AS/NZS 4815:2006. Health services commonly use it for the reprocessing action in the national safety and quality standards.4 Hire Australia asks candidates about their experience with the current standard and your department's systems.
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 CSSD attendant or a senior technician.
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 ↑
- Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care, Advisory AS24/01: NSQHS Standards requirements for reprocessing of reusable medical devices in health service organisations (version 1.0, 11 November 2024). Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- training.gov.au, HLT37026 Certificate III in Sterilisation Services (release 1, 20 October 2026; current; replaced HLT37015). 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 ↑