Registered Nurse - Mental Health - Incentives Offered

Make the move to Australia — grow your career in mental health nursing with incentives, relocation support, and a lifestyle you’ll love.


Employment Type: Choose your dream contract | Permanent Full Time, Permanent Part Time 
Position Classification: Registered Nurse
Remuneration: $72,152.53 - $101,299.48 Per Annum + 12% Super + Salary Packaging + Incentives 
Incentives: Be rewarded with up to $10,000 in the first 12 months PLUS up to $5,000 each year thereafter in fortnightly payments under the Rural Health Workforce Incentive Scheme.* 
Hours Per Week: Up to 38
Requisition ID: REQ602560
Location: Tamworth Hospital | Manning Hospital - apply early to secure your preferred location!
Closing: Sunday, 28th September 2025


🌏 Grow Your Mental Health Nursing Career in Australia — With Support Every Step of the Way

Join NSW Health’s largest Mental Health Service and make your move to regional New South Wales.

Whether you’re an experienced mental health nurse or just beginning your journey in the specialty, this is your opportunity to live, work, and thrive in one of two welcoming Australian communities — Manning (Taree) or Tamworth — with generous incentives, relocation support, and a team that feels like family.

🏆 What Our Leaders Say
“Our passionate and supportive teams offer strong camaraderie, lifelong friendships, and genuine career growth.”
— Katherine, Deputy Director of Mental Health Nursing

“You’ll be welcomed into an inclusive team where your voice matters and your contribution counts.”
— Priscilla, Nurse Manager


📍 Where You’ll Work
We are recruiting to two key regional locations, both part of Hunter New England Local Health District (HNELHD):

🧭 Tamworth Mental Health Services
•    📌 Located in the New England region of NSW — a vibrant inland city surrounded by rolling hills, music, and community pride.
•    🏥 Brand-new Mental Health Unit opening March 2026 as part of the $700 million Statewide Mental Health Infrastructure Program.
•    🎯 A vibrant regional hub with modern lifestyle, rich in heritage, great food, and surrounded by natural beauty
•    🏡 Relocation support available (we’ll help with housing, schooling, community connections)

About the new Tamworth facility
The 37-bed purpose-built unit will deliver modern, integrated care and include:
•    20-bed adult area
•    5-bed adult high-acuity area
•    8-bed older persons’ area
•    4-bed adolescent area
•    Child & Adolescent Community Mental Health Services on site

The unit has been co-designed with staff, carers, consumers, and the local Kamilaroi and Gomeroi peoples, incorporating key cultural themes of Connection to Sky, Cultural Care, and Country as Healing. With calming light-filled atriums, colours inspired by the three surrounding rivers, and sustainability initiatives including solar panels and 5-star energy rating, this is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to be part of shaping mental health care in regional Australia.

🌿 Why Manning (Taree)?
Taree is a riverside town in the heart of the Manning Valley — surrounded by pristine beaches, lush hinterlands, and national parks. While it may fly under the radar, locals know the secret:
•    🌊 Just 30 minutes to the coast — surf at Old Bar, swim at Crowdy Head, or unwind on Diamond Beach
•    🌲 Gateway to Barrington Tops — waterfalls, rainforest hikes, and alpine air only an hour away
•    🏡 Affordable living — more space, less stress, and room to raise a family
•    🚗 Close to major hubs — 1 hour to Port Macquarie, 2 hours to Newcastle

Why people choose Manning:
•    Affordable coastal lifestyle with space to breathe
•    Strong community spirit, from farmers’ markets to riverside festivals
•    Great for families and nature lovers, with wide open spaces and excellent schools
•    A genuine sea change or tree change — with career growth in a progressive mental health service


🤝 Why You’ll Love Working With Us
•    🧑‍🏫 Structured orientation and mentorship from senior clinicians and educators
•    📚 Ongoing education, clinical supervision, and leadership development
•    🌍 A multicultural, inclusive team culture — we celebrate diversity and collaboration
•    👣 Opportunities to work in both inpatient and community mental health
•    🍲 Shared team meals, social events, and a strong sense of belonging
•    🧘‍♀️ Fitness Passport — discounted gym memberships for you and your family
•    💼 Salary packaging up to $9,009 + $2,650 meals/entertainment
•    🧳 Relocation assistance and help settling into the community
•    🛏️ Four weeks’ annual leave (pro-rata for part-time) + monthly allocated days off for full-time staff


🧠 What You’ll Do
As a Registered Nurse in our Mental Health Services, you’ll:
•    Provide person-centred, trauma-informed, recovery-oriented care
•    Work across a variety of settings: community, inpatient, crisis, and rehabilitation
•    Support people of all ages — from children and young people to adults and older persons
•    Collaborate with Psychiatrists, Medical Officers, Allied Health, Peer Workers, and family/carers
•    Empower consumers to build resilience, independence, and self-management in their recovery

✅ What You’ll Need
•    Current registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (AHPRA)
•    Valid or eligible ANMAC assessment under ANZSCO 254422
•    NSW Driver’s Licence (or ability to obtain)

🚀 Ready to Start Your Australian Adventure?
This is more than a job — it’s a lifestyle change, a career move, and a community waiting to welcome you.

📩 Apply now and let us help you find the right fit for your life, your family, and your future.

Need more information? 
  1) Click here for the Position Description 
  2) Find out more about applying for this position
For role related queries or questions contact Katherine Price on Katherine.Price@health.nsw.gov.au 

Information for Applicants:

* Based on a minimum 18-month commitment to the position or the agreed duration of your contract. All payments to part-time and contract employees will be made on a pro-rata basis in accordance with the terms of your contract, including any approved extensions. Please note: if your contract ends before the agreed completion date, you may be required to repay a portion of the incentive. To check your eligibility, visit the Rural Health Workforce Incentive Scheme. For further information or to discuss your circumstances, please contact HNELHD-RuralIncentives@health.nsw.gov.au. 

Applicants will be assessed against the essential requirements and selection criteria contained within the position description (link below). For assistance addressing selection criteria visit: https://bit.ly/3vL5fq2 

Stepping Up Website is a resource designed to help indigenous job applicants apply for positions in NSW Health. For more information, please visit: https://bit.ly/HNEHealthSteppingUp 

This is a Category A position. Recommended applicants will be reviewed for compliance with NSW Health policy directive PD2024_015: Occupational Assessment, Screening and Vaccination against Specified Infectious Diseases for Category A positions prior to offer. All new employees must agree to comply with the requirements outlined in the policy.

Hunter New England Health is dedicated to fostering a child-safe environment that respects and upholds the rights of children and young people, aligned with NSW Health’s commitment to implementing the Child Safe Standards. We aim to ensure that children and young people feel safe, supported, and included in their care. All current and prospective staff are expected to prioritise the safety, welfare, and well-being of children and young people, actively working to protect them from harm and abuse.

At Hunter New England Local Health District, we are an inclusive employer dedicated to fostering a diverse, inclusive, and welcoming workplace.  Our commitment to a workforce that reflects the community we care for is essential for delivering the highest quality healthcare to our community. We encourage people with diverse lived experiences to apply. If you require any accommodations or adjustments to the recruitment process please let us know when you apply or at any stage of the process. We will work with you to meet your needs and create the best possible experience. Please contact Rebecca.Caldwell@health.nsw.gov.au for confidential support to ensure an equitable, barrier-free application process.

All overseas candidates seeking sponsorship MUST have obtained registration with AHPRA and a positive skills assessment via ANMAC with specialty/code 254422 prior to applying.

An eligibility list will be created for future permanent full or part time and temporary full or part time vacancies.

#RuralHealthIncentive #MentalHealthNursing