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released: 7 Sep 2006 media release

'Welfare expenditure Australia 2003-04' provides estimates of expenditure on welfare services and social security benefits in Australia for the period 1998-99 to 2003-04.Welfare services expenditure are benefits in kind to families and children, older people, people with disabilities, and other target groups such as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and migrants. This expenditure totalled $20 billion in 2003-04. Estimates are reported by source of funding, whether from governments, from individuals in the form of fees for services or from non-government community service organisations.Funding of welfare services by the eight state and territory governments are compared.This publication also contains estimates of social tax expenditures by the Australian Government. This report is an important reference for policy makers and those working in the community services sector.

ISSN 1323-5850; ISBN 978 1 74024 601 9; Cat. no. HWE 34; 61pp.; Internet only

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Welfare expenditure Australia 2003-04

Full publication

Publication table of contents

  • Preliminary material
    • Title page and verso
    • Contents
    • List of tables
    • List of figures
    • Abbreviations and symbols
    • Executive summary
  • Chapters
    1. Introduction
      • Background
        • Scope
        • Data sources
      • Revisions to previously published estimates
    2. Expenditure and funding for welfare services (including core concessions)
      • Expenditure on welfare services in Australia
        • Expenditure per person
      • Funding of welfare services in Australia
        • Government funding, by welfare services categories
        • Funding by the non-government sector
    3. Concessions to households
      • Concessions through state and territory governments and local government authorities
      • Australian Government tax expenditures
        • Concessional taxation of superannuation
        • Other tax expenditures for older people
        • Tax expenditures for families and children
    4. Welfare expenditure estimates using international classifications
      • Cash benefits and benefits-in-kind
        • Old age
        • Incapacity-related
        • Families
        • Survivors and other social policy areas
    5. Selected social security payments by the Australian Government: a state comparison
    6. Technical notes
      • Government Purpose Classification
        • Welfare services
        • Social security
      • Eligibility for Pensioner Concession, Health Care, and Commonwealth Seniors Health Cards
      • Key data sources for state and territory government expenditure and funding
      • Revisions
  • End matter
    • Appendix A: Expenditure and funding of welfare services
    • Appendix B: Population data
    • References

Recommended citation

AIHW 2006. Welfare expenditure Australia 2003-04. Cat. no. HWE 34. Canberra: AIHW. Viewed 12 June 2013 <http://www.aihw.gov.au/publication-detail/?id=6442467896>.