health
March 27, 2026
6 min read
Locum Doctor Work in Western Australia: Pay Rates, Regions, and What to Expect
Western Australia is the largest state in Australia and one of the most dependent on locum doctors to keep its regional health system running. The WA Country Health Service went almost $30 million over budget in 2023-24, partially attributing the blowout to its "increasing reliance on high-cost agency and locum staff." Over the past seven years, locum and agency workers have represented 15 per cent of WACHS's total workforce expenditure. For locum doctors, that reliance translates directly into consistent demand and strong pay.
WA Health operates through a network of Health Service Providers. In the metropolitan area, you have North Metropolitan Health Service, South Metropolitan Health Service, East Metropolitan Health Service, and the Child and Adolescent Health Service. Outside Perth, the WA Country Health Service (WACHS) covers everything else -- an area spanning 2.5 million square kilometres.
WACHS is where most locum work sits. It manages hospitals and health facilities across seven regions: Kimberley, Pilbara, Midwest, Goldfields, Wheatbelt, South West, and Great Southern. Each region has its own workforce team, and credentialing is managed through CredWA, the state-wide electronic credentialing system. You must be credentialed before starting any WACHS placement.
Rural Health West is the not-for-profit rural workforce agency that coordinates GP locum placements in remote WA. If you are a vocationally registered GP or ACRRM Fellow, they are a good starting point.
WA locum rates sit at the top end nationally for rural and remote placements, though metro rates are more modest. Based on current job listings and ABC News reporting on WACHS postings:
Regional WA postings regularly advertise salaries above $2,000 per day, with short-term placements reaching upwards of $3,000 per day.
A nine-week senior medical posting in Karratha (1,600 km north of Perth) was advertised at $2,700 per day -- totalling more than $120,000, plus accommodation, a vehicle, and airfares.
A five-day senior medical officer posting at a Northern WA hospital was listed at more than $15,000.
Medlo's 2026 data shows WA RMO locum rates averaging around $120 per hour, though this is based on a small sample of 29 shifts and skews lower than the SA average of $162 per hour.
Most remote WA placements include flights, accommodation, and often a vehicle. This is standard -- the distances involved make it impractical for hospitals to expect locums to self-fund travel.
AMA WA president Dr Michael Page has noted that the high locum rates create tension: "The problem comes when doctors working locally in their communities don't get that amount." This is a genuine issue across WA. Permanent rural GPs often earn significantly less than the locums parachuting in beside them, which itself contributes to retention problems.
The Pilbara has the highest GP turnover in WA. Towns like Karratha, Port Hedland, and Newman serve mining communities with a transient population, extreme heat, and limited permanent medical workforce. Locum demand is constant, rates are high, and accommodation is always provided.
The Kimberley recorded an 8.1 per cent drop in GPs according to 2025 data, with the lowest number of new doctors moving into the region. Broome, Kununurra, Derby, and Fitzroy Crossing all rely on locum coverage. Aboriginal health services are a major employer. The clinical work is broad -- you will manage everything from chronic disease to trauma.
Kalgoorlie is the hub, serving a population spread across old mining towns. The Goldfields-Esperance region needs ED, GP, and general medicine locums year-round.
Albany, Bunbury, Busselton, and Esperance offer a different flavour -- coastal living, cooler temperatures, and slightly lower rates than the remote north. Louise Kingston, Independent MP for the South West, has called the doctor shortage in the region a "festering sore" that locums alone cannot fix.
Geraldton anchors the Midwest, while the Wheatbelt and Gascoyne have smaller hospitals with high per-shift rates due to isolation. These are good options for locums who want true rural medicine without the extreme remoteness of the Kimberley.
1. Current AHPRA registration -- unconditional and matching the level of the role you are applying for.
2. ABN -- required for contractor-based locum work.
3. Medical indemnity insurance -- must cover locum work, after-hours shifts, and any procedural work within your scope.
4. CredWA credentialing -- all WACHS sites require electronic credentialing through CredWA before you can start. Initial credentialing requires two referee reports, employment history, CPD evidence, vaccination records, and a national police check. Specialists are credentialed for up to five years; all other categories up to three years.
5. National police check -- within the last two years.
6. WA Working with Children Check -- note this is state-specific. A check from another state is not valid in WA.
7. Vaccination records -- Hep B serology, MMR, varicella, dTpa, TB screening, COVID, and influenza. WACHS will reject incomplete records.
WACHS has been actively trying to reduce its locum spend -- it cut $40.4 million in locum and agency costs in the past financial year. That does not mean fewer shifts, but it does mean the system is moving toward longer-term contracts and preferred panels over one-off agency placements. Building a direct relationship with WACHS workforce teams can give you priority access.
Distances in WA are vast. Perth to Broome is a four-hour flight. Perth to Karratha is two hours. Factor in travel days and minimum booking blocks of one to two weeks for remote placements.
The heat in the Pilbara and Kimberley is not a metaphor. Summer temperatures regularly exceed 45 degrees Celsius. If you are coming from a temperate state, prepare accordingly.
If you are looking for a simpler way to find and book locum shifts in WA, download the StatDoctor app and connect directly with hospitals -- no agency markups.
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