Part 2/7:
Over the past twelve years, Australia's government expenditure has soared, driven by a range of expanding sectors including the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), aged care, child care, education, public health services, and defense. Senior fellow Robert Carling from the Center for Independent Studies highlighted that this increase isn't solely attributable to the pandemic but has been building over time, intensifying the fiscal pressure.
Carling noted that "the size of government at all levels has increased quite sharply," with federal spending particularly on the rise. This expansion has already pushed Australia's tax burden to record levels, raising alarms about the sustainability of current fiscal policies.