Cost of Government
Australia · per person
As of 5 November 2026 · Latest official outcome: 2024-25 (ABS GFS, released 21 Apr 2026) · Next ABS annual release: 20 Apr 2027
About

A public-interest charter

Clear, sourced numbers about what government costs, so Australians can discuss it on the same facts.

costofgovernment.com.au exists to make the size and cost of government in Australia understandable to everyone — in dollars per person — using only official statistics.

Our charter

  1. Non-partisan. We do not support or oppose any party, government or candidate. No party colours, no petitions, no campaigns.
  2. Official sources only. Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics today; in future, also published Treasury and Department of Finance releases, always labelled.
  3. Show the working. Every figure carries a source, and the full dataset is downloadable.
  4. Describe, don’t judge. Government spending pays for health, education, pensions and defence. We show the size and the mix; readers decide.
  5. Correct openly. Errors and ABS revisions are fixed and logged in the changelog.

Who we are

Published by PolicyWorks Pty Ltd. This is not a government website — note the .com.au address, not .gov.au. We are not affiliated with the ABS or any government agency.

Using our material

You may quote and share our charts with attribution to costofgovernment.com.au and the ABS. ABS data © Commonwealth of Australia, CC BY 4.0.