Before you allocate Australia's budget, see what the real numbers look like. This is the state of the nation — debt, housing, immigration, welfare — in plain language.
💰 Government Income (Revenue)
$622B
2024–25 Tax & other revenue
Income tax (individuals)$310B
Company tax$126B
GST$92B
Other taxes & fees$94B
Deficit
$27.6B
more out than in
Like a household earning $622 but spending $650 every year — and putting $27.6 on the credit card.
📤 Government Spending (Expenses)
$650B
2024–25 Total expenditure
Social services & welfare$122B
Health$90B
Education$43B
Defence + all else$395B
⚠ Think of the national budget like a household wage. Australia earns $622B a year but spends $650B. The $27.6B shortfall is borrowed — added to a credit card that future generations pay off. The interest alone costs $21.9B every year. That's money that can't go to hospitals, schools, or housing.
Data sources: Australian Bureau of Statistics · Treasury Budget Papers 2024–25 · AIHW · Department of Social Services · Reserve Bank of Australia · Figures are approximate and updated periodically. This page is for civic context, not financial advice.
National Debt
Commonwealth Net Debt
$578B
As of 2024–25 Budget forecast · Commonwealth net debt 2025–26 forecast · Growing by approx. $1,900 per second
Net debt is what the government owes minus its financial assets. This is Commonwealth net debt only — total national net debt across all governments is higher at 34.4% of GDP. The interest bill alone is now over $21 billion a year — money that can't go to hospitals, schools, or housing.
Gross Debt
$1.022 Trillion
Total bonds & borrowings on issue
Annual Interest Bill
$21.9B / yr
Your taxes paying for past spending
Debt Per Australian
~$23,800
Every man, woman and child
Debt as % of GDP
21.5% (Cwlth)
National all-govt level is 34.4% GDP
Budget Deficit 24–25
$27.6B
2024–25 underlying cash deficit
Debt in 2008
~$58B
10× increase in 16 years
Housing Crisis
🏠 Median House Prices
Capital city medians, 2024
$1.61MSydney median
The median Sydney house price is now 15× the median annual income. The internationally accepted "affordable" threshold is 3×. Melbourne sits at $978K, Brisbane above $900K, Perth surging past $800K.
Sydney
$1.61M
↑ 6.2% past year
Melbourne
$978K
↑ modest growth
Brisbane
$910K
↑ strong growth
Perth
$820K
↑ 20%+ past year
🏘️ Housing Affordability & Rental Crisis
2024 national figures
$681National median weekly rent
Median rents reached $681/week nationally in late 2025, up significantly since 2020. A household is considered "in rental stress" when rent exceeds 30% of gross income. At $681/week, a renter needs to earn at least $118,000 to avoid rental stress.
Rental vacancy rate
1.1%
Healthy market = 3%+
In rental stress
~3.3M
Households nationally
Homeless Australians
122,000
2021 census, likely higher now
Social housing waitlist
170,000+
Avg wait: 5–10 years
Immigration vs Houses Built
The Supply vs Demand Gap
Net overseas migration compared to new dwellings completed, per year
Net Overseas Migration
446,000
Net migration 2023–24 (record peak was 536K in 2022–23)
This is a record high. Net migration means arrivals minus departures. 446,000 extra people needed somewhere to live in 2023–24. The record peak was 536,000 in 2022–23. The cumulative 3-year total (2022–2025) was 1.27 million people.
New Dwellings Completed
173,000
New homes finished — 2022–23
Australia needs roughly 2–3 people per dwelling to house new arrivals. At 173,000 completions, the country built homes for roughly 430,000 people — leaving a significant shortfall even before the existing waitlist.
−273,000
The annual housing gap: ~273,000 people with nowhere new to live (2023–24)
This gap compounds year after year. The government has set a target of 1.2 million new homes over 5 years (240,000/year) — but completions are currently running well below that. The shortfall drives up prices and rents for everyone.
Net migration (arrivals)
New dwellings completed
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
Bar widths are proportional to 2023 peak (518K arrivals / 173K completions). COVID years (2020–21) had near-zero migration but construction continued — the rebound overwhelmed supply.
Centrelink & Welfare Payments
Total welfare recipients
5.3M
Australians on income support — 24% of all aged 16+
Total welfare spend
$122B/yr
18.8% of the federal budget
% of working-age adults
14%
Of working-age (16–64) adults on payments
Largest single payment
Age Pension
$55B/yr · 2.8M recipients
💼
JobSeeker
~808,000
$762.70 / fortnight (single)
JobSeeker is Australia's unemployment payment. The rate is $54.50/day — below the poverty line. Critics argue it's impossible to afford rent, food, and transport on this amount, pushing recipients into homelessness or crime. The rate has not kept pace with inflation or rent increases.
As % of all welfare recipients17%
♿
Disability Support Pension
~770,000
$1,144.40 / fortnight (single)
The DSP supports Australians with a permanent disability preventing work. Numbers have fallen as eligibility criteria tightened since 2011 — pushing some disabled people onto the lower JobSeeker rate instead. Currently costs around $18B annually.
As % of all welfare recipients17%
👴
Age Pension
2.9M
$1,144.40 / fortnight (single)
The Age Pension is the largest welfare payment at $55B per year. With an ageing population, this cost is projected to grow significantly. Eligibility age is 67. As baby boomers age, the number of recipients will peak around 2030, putting pressure on future budgets.
As % of all welfare recipients55%
How Do We Balance Our Budget?
Australia's government spends like a household living beyond its means — $27.6B more going out than coming in this year alone. Drag the sliders below and see if you can do better. Every dollar you allocate is a real trade-off.
Your Budget Dashboard
Total Budget
$650B
2024–25 Federal Budget
Allocated So Far
$477B
of $650B total
Remaining / Surplus
$173B
unallocated funds
Budget Allocation Progress
$477B allocated$173B remaining
Drag to Allocate
🏥 Health
$95B
Real govt: $89.5B▲ +$5.5B
👴 Social Services
$110B
Real govt: $122.4B▼ -$12.4B
📚 Education
$50B
Real govt: $42.8B▲ +$7.2B
🛡️ Defence
$42B
Real govt: $48.6B▼ -$6.6B
🌿 Environment
$28B
Real govt: $8.9B▲ +$19.1B
🚧 Infrastructure
$55B
Real govt: $33.2B▲ +$21.8B
🏘️ Housing
$45B
Real govt: $9.2B▲ +$35.8B
✈️ Immigration
$12B
Real govt: $4.8B▲ +$7.2B
⚖️ Justice & Home Affairs
$18B
Real govt: $14.1B▲ +$3.9B
🔬 Science & Research
$22B
Real govt: $11.8B▲ +$10.2B
Your Allocation
🏥 Health
14.6%
👴 Social
16.9%
📚 Education
7.7%
🛡️ Defence
6.5%
🌿 Environment
4.3%
🚧 Infrastructure
8.5%
🏘️ Housing
6.9%
✈️ Immigration
1.8%
⚖️ Justice
2.8%
🔬 Science
3.4%
Your Budget vs Real Govt
🏥 Health▲ +$5.5B
👴 Social Services▼ -$12.4B
📚 Education▲ +$7.2B
🛡️ Defence▼ -$6.6B
🌿 Environment▲ +$19.1B
🚧 Infrastructure▲ +$21.8B
🏘️ Housing▲ +$35.8B
✈️ Immigration▲ +$7.2B
⚖️ Justice▲ +$3.9B
🔬 Science▲ +$10.2B
Real-World Consequences of Your Budget
What Your Choices Mean
Updates live as you drag the sliders above
Submit Your Budget
Happy with your allocations? Submit to add your voice to the People's Budget. Your choices are averaged with all other Australians to form our official shadow budget — then compared against Canberra.