The federal government must spend less and spend better to balance the budget. A key target is defence spending, which has grown rapidly to some $60 billion per annum today. This paper shows that, with prompt government action, spending less and better could meet defence needs while saving up to $160bn and years of delay.

This report provides an overview of the economic evidence available in relation to psychosocial support programs within Australia’s mental health system. The report concludes there is promising but limited evidence to demonstrate that psychosocial supports not only improve the wellbeing and quality of life for individuals but also lead to economic gains.

Snowy 2.0 is the largest committed renewable energy project in Australia in 2026. The audit’s objective was to assess the effectiveness of management in the delivery of Snowy 2.0 in support of achieving value for money. It finds that the delivery of the project is facing delays, cost increases and problems with delivery.

This discussion paper examines psychosocial support in Australia’s mental health system and the economic evidence of its impact. While emerging findings indicate mental, social, and economic benefits, robust evaluation remains limited. Gaps include definitions, frameworks, and system-level data. The paper calls for investment in measurement, mapping, and economic evaluation to strengthen evidence and inform reform.

The second interim evaluation report of the Medicare Urgent Care Clinics pilot program, based on program implementation from June 2023 to September 2025. This evaluation addresses the nine Measures of Success that were agreed by the Australian, and state and territory governments. Findings and improvement opportunities have been provided for each of the nine measures.