Now as we can see from the above, over 58% of taxpayer funds are being allocated to Welfare and health. So, the question then is, “If over half of our taxpayer dollars are going to Welfare and health, what do we have to show for it?”. Most people would be surprised to know that the answer is quite a lot. Concerning Australia’s welfare & health system, the Australian Institute for Health & Welfare provided the following statistic:

“In 2021, Australia’s life expectancy at birth was 83.3 years. Australia ranked fourth highest out of 38 OECD countries and was above the OECD average of 80.3 years.“

In addition, Australia spends well below the OECD average on social security benefits, yet Australia redistributes more to the poorest 20% of the population than any other OECD country except Denmark (which spends about 80% more than Australia).

The above statistics are just a few of many figures that provide a relatively clear picture – our healthcare & welfare system is damn good. So where else is Australia excelling when compared to other developed countries? Per the OECD:

• Australia is ranked 2^nd amongst OECD countries for Inland infrastructure spending as a % of GDP.
• Australia is ranked 6^th amongst OECD countries for Primary, Secondary & Tertiary education spending as a % of GDP.

As a nation, we have managed this whilst remaining a relatively low-taxing nation with Australia’s taxation revenue representing 28.55% of GDP compared to the OECD Average of 34.11%.

At the end of the day, no one ever likes having to give up money. Especially to the tax man. But as a result, we get to live in a safe country. A country that has an effective health care system. Substantial infrastructure networks. A Free education system. Whilst the quality of these services can be disputed, at least we have access to them. There are plenty of nations out there that are not in the same boat.

Written for you by Baylee Jones