Pay rates in private practice Australia

Hello all,

I am new to private practice and am just looking for some advice regarding wages etc. as I’m not sure what to expect.

I have 3 years of public sector experience of which about half was in musc. I have been working privately for 5 months now. I work full time Monday to Friday and average about 55 patients per week. Currently I am on a salary of $62K which if given our practices fees works out to be a commission rate of around 31%. I’ve just recently asked for a pay rise.

My boss has said he can offer a commission rate of 50% (which includes super), but that I have to have my own ABN and manage my own GST. From my understanding, 50% is quite good, however is it normal to have to have an ABN and manage your own tax? He has also said, that we may not be able to do this, as in order to get paid on a commission basis you must be a sub-contractor, not an employee (hence the ABN). Is that also correct? I thought that employees could be paid on a commission basis with out being a sub-contractor.

His second offer was that I can have a $10K pay rise if I see 10 patients more per week and work some weekends. But I think that this defeats the purpose of a pay rise. With a $10K pay rise and still seeing 55 patients per week, this puts me on a rate of just under 40%, which I think is reasonable for him to pay given my current work load.

I would appreciate any advice at all. As I say, I am new to the private world and just want to make sure that I am not being taken advantage of, but likewise that I am not asking for anything too unreasonable.

Thanks a lot!
Jambi.