Government & Fiscal
Government finances, debt, public service, and institutional effectiveness.
Average Weekly Earnings (Full-Time)
Average gross weekly earnings for full-time adult employees, from ABS Average Weekly Earnings survey. This is pre-tax income.
AUD per week (gross)·annual·Updated July 2025
$2,051
Getting Better
Federal Budget Balance (% GDP)
The difference between federal government revenue and spending as a share of the economy. Positive = surplus; Negative = deficit.
% of GDP·annual·Updated Jan 2026
-1.5%
Getting Worse
Federal Debt (% GDP)
Federal government gross debt as a proportion of the total economy.
% of GDP·quarterly·Updated Dec 2025
59.0%
Getting Worse
Federal Gross Debt
Total gross debt of the Australian federal government including Australian Government Securities (bonds), unfunded superannuation liabilities, and other provisions. This is higher than the commonly reported AGS-only figure.
AUD billions·quarterly·Updated Jan 2026
$1,718
Getting Worse
Public Service Headcount
Total Australian Public Service (APS) headcount — the number of federal public servants.
thousands of persons·semiannual·Updated June 2025
198.5
Rising