Where do our tax dollars really go?

[AnimalMother]

A new interactive tool helps you visualise government spending. Some people may be surprised!

http://www.theopenbudget.org/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[mantra]

There's nothing surprising about it. I couldn't find anything specifically on the graph about waste and errors so I assume this is the cause of all the negative balances. What do politicians and their lurks, perks and rip offs cost the taxpayer?

[AiA in Atlanta]

The category "As yet unaccounted" at 57 million caught my eye. Is this the slush fund for espionage?

[Jovial Monk]

$376.3 Billion Total govt expenditure.

So the NBN is just 10% of one years expenditure or 1% over 10 years. Puts paid to the silly notion that we can’t afford it.

[AnimalMother]

There's nothing surprising about it.

I said "some people might be surprised" - not all people!

In particular, I was thinking of those who seem to believe that the majority of government expenditure goes to the military,or to politicians' salaries. Sensible people obviously know better, and won't be surprised at all.

[Jovial Monk]

There's nothing surprising about it. I couldn't find anything specifically on the graph about waste and errors so I assume this is the cause of all the negative balances. What do politicians and their lurks, perks and rip offs cost the taxpayer?

Why don’t you contact your idol Bob Brown the NIMBY and ask him what his super is worth and is he returning the bits based on pay rises he said he rejected to charities and environmental causes?

My bet is he is grasping all the super payouts to his narrow little chest and ain’t sharing none!

[boxy]

Seems like the biggest expense, is the management of the spending itself.

The bureaucracy?

[Mattus]

I couldn't locate research and development or universities in the chart at all?

Edit: Found it in the 11-12 actual but it's not in the 12-13 proposed. Perhaps it's still in the "unaccounted for" chunk.

Edit P.S.: I was pretty surprised to be visually confronted with how much is spent on welfare.

[AnimalMother]

That website was first created just a week or two ago, and is very much a work in progress. That's why there is such a large chunk of unaccounted-for spending in the top left corner.

I was surprised at how small the Newstart Allowance (ie unemployment benefits) spending was. Given all the rhetoric about "dole bludgers" being tossed about, you'd think it would have been bigger!

But then, like defence spending, some types of welfare spending are greatly exaggerated by people for political reasons. Visual resources like this page are an excellent means of combating misconceptions.

[Mattus]

But then, like defence spending, some types of welfare spending are greatly exaggerated by people for political reasons. Visual resources like this page are an excellent means of combating misconceptions.

Yes although even this can be manipulated by breaking big chunks into lots of smaller chunks to make it less visually impressive. In addition to newstart you would want to look also at disability support, seniors income support, family tax benefit, and others in assessing the full impact of welfare.