Saturday 14 November 2026Australian edition
The Caveat
Caveat lector.The detail that changes the story.

Australia Inc.

The scorecard

The federal government's own measurable promises, and how the country has moved since the federal election of 21 May 2022, from official data.

Of 1 promise with data: 1 behind.

Promises

Targets the government set itself, quoted from official documents and measured by official series. Ratings compare the pace achieved with the pace needed; they are mechanical, not judgements.

  1. 1.2 million new homes in the five years from 1 July 2024 (National Housing Accord)

    behind

    “That’s why National Cabinet has agreed to an ambitious new national target to build 1.2 million new well-located homes over five years, from 1 July 2024.”

    Target
    1.2 million homes by June 2029
    Progress
    355,822 homes so far (30% of the way) to 2026-Q2
    Pace
    178,277 a year achieved; 281,328 a year needed

    Pace counted from 1 July 2024. The Accord period begins 1 July 2024, as the source states. Average pace since the start is 63 per cent of the pace needed from here to the deadline. Series: ABS Building Activity: dwelling units completed, total residential, original, summed by quarter

Awaiting official data

These targets are quoted from official documents, but no official series we can load measures them yet. Each is rated once one does.

Outcomes

Headline official measures since the federal election of 21 May 2022, with how much of each the government controls. Not rated.

  1. Inflation

    Headline CPI, annual change
    Baseline
    6.2% 2022-Q2
    Latest
    3.9% 2026-Q3
    Change
    −2.3 pts
    Trimmed mean, annual change
    Baseline
    4.9% 2022-Q2
    Latest
    3.7% 2026-Q3
    Change
    −1.2 pts

    Headline CPI and the trimmed mean are shown together. The trimmed mean is the RBA's preferred measure of underlying inflation.

    How much the government controls this: Mostly outside the government's direct control. Interest rates, the main lever on inflation, are set by the independent Reserve Bank. Government spending, energy rebates and administered prices also move the figures.

    ABS Consumer Price Index

  2. Unemployment rate

    Unemployment rate, seasonally adjusted
    Baseline
    3.9% 2022-05
    Latest
    4.7% 2026-09
    Change
    +0.8 pts

    How much the government controls this: Partly. It follows the business cycle, the world economy and the Reserve Bank's interest rate settings; government spending, migration settings and employment programs have some effect.

    ABS Labour Force

  3. Real wages

    Wage Price Index growth less headline CPI inflation
    Baseline
    −3.6 pts 2022-Q2
    Latest
    −0.7 pts 2026-Q2
    Change
    +2.9 pts
    Wage Price Index, annual change
    Baseline
    2.6% 2022-Q2
    Latest
    3.2% 2026-Q2
    Change
    +0.6 pts

    Real wage growth here is the Wage Price Index annual change less headline CPI inflation for the same quarter. For the trimmed mean, the RBA's preferred measure of underlying inflation, see the inflation row.

    How much the government controls this: Partly. Most wages are set by employers, enterprise bargaining and the independent Fair Work Commission. The government makes submissions to the annual wage review and sets its own employees' pay; prices depend largely on the Reserve Bank and world conditions.

    ABS Wage Price Index

  4. Real GDP per person

    Real GDP per person, per quarter (chain volume, seasonally adjusted)
    Baseline
    $25,034 2022-Q2
    Latest
    $24,971 2026-Q2
    Change
    −0.3%

    How much the government controls this: Mostly outside direct control. It reflects productivity, commodity prices, the world economy and population growth; tax, spending and migration settings have some effect over time.

    ABS National Accounts

  5. Productivity

    GDP per hour worked, index
    Baseline
    102.6 2022-Q2
    Latest
    99.7 2026-Q2
    Change
    −2.8%

    How much the government controls this: Limited in the short run. Productivity depends on business investment, technology, skills and the mix of industries; government policy on competition, regulation, education and infrastructure works over years.

    ABS National Accounts

  6. Rents

    CPI rents, annual change
    Baseline
    1.5% 2022-Q2
    Latest
    3.6% 2026-Q3
    Change
    +2.1 pts

    How much the government controls this: Partly. Rents follow housing supply, population growth and interest rates. Rental law is mostly set by the states; the Commonwealth sets Commonwealth Rent Assistance, which lowers rents as measured in the CPI, and migration settings.

    ABS Consumer Price Index

  7. Net overseas migration

    Net overseas migration, four quarters to date
    Baseline
    207,900 2022-Q2
    Latest
    292,100 2026-Q1
    Change
    +40.5%

    How much the government controls this: Partly. The government sets visa settings and the permanent migration program; departures, Australians returning, students and visitors' decisions also move the figure.

    ABS National, state and territory population

  8. Commonwealth budget balance (GFS)

    Net operating balance, four quarters to date
    Baseline
    −$26.6b 2022-Q2
    Latest
    −$55.2b 2026-Q1
    Change
    −$28.6b
    Net lending (+) or borrowing (−), four quarters to date
    Baseline
    −$35.1b 2022-Q2
    Latest
    −$66.6b 2026-Q1
    Change
    −$31.5b

    Government finance statistics (accrual) for the Commonwealth general government sector, as reported by the Australian authorities to the IMF. This differs from the underlying cash balance quoted in the budget papers.

    How much the government controls this: Largely. Spending and tax decisions are the government's own, though revenue also rises and falls with commodity prices, wages and employment.

    The government's books

  9. Government debt

    General government gross debt, per cent of GDP
    Baseline
    –
    Latest
    59.6% 2025
    Change
    –

    The stored series does not reach back to the baseline.

    How much the government controls this: Largely, over time. Debt builds up from the government's own deficits, though interest rates and economic growth change the ratio to GDP. This measure covers all levels of government.

    OECD

  10. Electricity prices

    CPI electricity, index
    Baseline
    83.5 2022-Q2
    Latest
    113.4 2026-Q3
    Change
    +35.9%

    How much the government controls this: Partly. Wholesale prices, network costs and state regulation set most of the bill. Commonwealth energy bill rebates lower prices as measured in the CPI while they are paid, and raise the measured change when they end.

    ABS Consumer Price Index

  11. Child care prices

    CPI child care, index
    Baseline
    88.9 2022-Q2
    Latest
    102.9 2026-Q3
    Change
    +15.7%

    How much the government controls this: Largely. The Commonwealth sets the Child Care Subsidy, which the CPI nets off what families pay; providers set their own fees.

    ABS Consumer Price Index

  12. Homes completed

    Dwelling units completed, four quarters to date (original)
    Baseline
    172,640 2022-Q2
    Latest
    180,469 2026-Q2
    Change
    +4.5%

    How much the government controls this: Partly. Builders, lenders and buyers decide what gets built; states and councils control planning and zoning. The Commonwealth funds incentives and social housing and sets migration and tax settings.

    ABS Building Activity

  13. Cash rate

    RBA cash rate target
    Baseline
    0.35% 2022-05-04
    Latest
    4.85% 2026-11-04
    Change
    +4.50 pts

    How much the government controls this: Not controlled by the government. The cash rate is set by the Reserve Bank's independent Monetary Policy Board; the Treasurer agrees the inflation target with the Bank.

    RBA cash rate

How the scorecard works

Promises

  • A promise is listed only when its target is quoted word for word from an official document (a minister's release, budget papers, legislation or a department's program page), the quote is found in the document's own text, and a separate check confirms the target as we read it. Anything short of that is held back, not shown. When an official page cannot be reached, the quote is checked against the copy we stored when it last could be, and the promise says so.
  • The start date used for pace is our choice, not the document's, unless the document states one: each promise gives its start date and the reason for it.
  • Each promise is measured by an official statistical series. Where none can be loaded yet, the promise is listed as awaiting data and the series is requested.
  • Our agent keeps the list each week and after relevant releases. Every addition, change, removal and rating change is logged.
  • Pace achieved is the average progress per year since the promise started counting. Pace needed is the distance left to the target divided by the time left to the deadline.
  • The rating is pace achieved divided by pace needed: 1.1 or more is “ahead”; 0.9 up to 1.1 is “on track”; 0.6 up to 0.9 is “behind”; below 0.6 is “off track”. Once the data covers the deadline the rating is “met” or “missed”. A promise with fewer than two readings since its start is “not yet rated”.
  • “This term” lists promises whose deadline falls after 3 May 2025; “since taking office” adds those whose deadline fell in the first term. Each promise is always measured from its own start date.

Outcomes

  • The baseline is the reading for the period that covers the election date: 3 May 2025 for this term, 21 May 2022 since taking office. For the cash rate it is the rate in force on election day.
  • Changes are in percentage points for rates and per cent for levels. Arrows show direction only.
  • Each measure carries a fixed note on how much the government controls it. Outcomes are not rated: many are set by the Reserve Bank, the states, businesses or the world economy.
  • OECD averages appear only where an OECD aggregate for the same measure is in our store.
  • Any inflation figure is shown as headline CPI with the trimmed mean beside it. The trimmed mean is the RBA's preferred measure of underlying inflation.

What is left out, and why

  • Grades and judgements: the scorecard reports pace and direction, nothing more.
  • Private indices, surveys and opinion polls: official data only (Australian Bureau of Statistics, Reserve Bank, government finance statistics, OECD).
  • Promises without a number and a deadline, forecasts, and targets no official series measures (program counts reported by departments).
  • The budget balance against the budget's own forecast: the budget forecasts the underlying cash balance, while the official quarterly series is government finance statistics on an accrual basis. Comparing the two would mix measures, so the balance appears under Outcomes instead.