Hit and miss: State and territory governments across Australia will fund around $12 billion of concessions and cost-of-living support to households this year. This support comes from a patchwork of programs, built up over decades, that has become a complicated, costly and inequitable system of household support. Together, the support is equivalent to around $1,100 for every Australian household, or up to 10% of tax revenue collected by the states. In some states, the support is equivalent to all gambling revenue or up to one-third of stamp duty revenue.

The fair go is quietly slipping. Australia’s safety net was built on a simple idea: help should go to those who need it most. Over the past decade, we’ve been drifting from it.

Our new report shows how better targeting could restore that principle — saving $21 billion on the way — without affecting most people