The relationship between budget offices and line ministries is evolving across OECD countries. Effective budgeting now depends on strong internal finance functions within line ministries, collaborative engagement across the budget cycle, and sustained investment in skills and systems. This paper discusses how this partnership can be strengthened to ensure budgeting supports fiscal sustainability.

This report combines Commonwealth, state and territory budget data to examine the fiscal outlook across all levels of Australian government. Compared to the 2024-25 outlook, all the main budget aggregates have worsened as a share of gross domestic product at the national level. This reflects a deterioration in these aggregates across most jurisdictions.

OECD countries face rising public debt, ageing populations, and growing demands on health, social care and defence. Effective budgeting is critical to ensure sustainable public finances. This report highlights the importance of transparency, parliamentary oversight, and collaboration between finance ministries and line ministries – helping governments spend better for long-term impact.

This paper contributes to the debate on fiscal rules by discussing their nature and purpose, reviewing the history of their use in Australia and internationally, and proposing a set of rules suitable to the fiscal challenges of the times. It finds economic management in Australia currently lacks the guardrails provided by quantified fiscal rules.

The submission presents a vision for accelerating progress toward gender equality in Australia. It complements existing reforms by translating strategic commitments into practical actions grounded in co-design and accountability. The submission provides a summary of recommendations across five priority areas: gender-based violence; unpaid and paid care; economic equality and security; health; leadership, representation and decision...