How A$17 billion from a gas tax could strengthen the parts of the budget people feel in everyday life

Using the Housing Australia Future Fund benchmark of about A$250,000 per home.

Using the 2023-24 national public library spend of about A$806,639 per service point.

Using neighbourhood-house operating costs of about A$608,040 as a proxy for third spaces such as community venues, skate hangouts, youth spaces and family parks with amenities.

Using a Reuters refinery construction proxy of about A$6,700,000,000 for a 168,000-barrel-per-day refinery. This is an international capital-cost benchmark rather than an Australian project estimate.

Using the Cheaper Home Batteries Program example of an 11.5 kWh battery previously costing around A$13,000 before the discount.

Using the New Energy Apprenticeships Support Payment cap of A$10,000 per apprentice as a jobs-and-skills proxy.

Using the midpoint between primary and secondary teacher median full-time pay, about A$118,248 a year.

Using an ABS-based public-school teacher estimate of about 201,004 teachers, inferred from 2025 government-school enrolments and the 13.0 government student-to-teacher ratio.

Using the Fee-Free TAFE benchmark of about A$3,000 per place.

Using median full-time pay of about A$83,616 a year across transport, postal and warehousing.

Using the Australian Government High Speed Rail Study's Stage 3 Newcastle-Sydney benchmark of about A$141,000,000 per built kilometre.

Using nbn's one-time new-development end-user contribution charge of up to A$300 per premises, so this comparison is about connection charges rather than a full year of internet service.

Using the Western Australian community-garden grant cap of up to A$10,000 per project.

Using neighbourhood-house operating costs of about A$608,040 as the base proxy, with live-music venue grants included as a cultural reference point.

Using a community skatepark benchmark of about A$500,000 per local project.

Using median full-time pay of about A$113,984 a year for registered nurses.

Using median full-time pay of about A$148,304 a year for ambulance officers and paramedics.

Using national health-care and social-assistance median full-time pay of about A$87,828 a year as a regional-job proxy.

Using median full-time pay of about A$133,120 a year for police.

Using median full-time pay of about A$128,596 a year for fire and emergency workers.

Using the Bellingen shared-path benchmark from the Active Transport Fund, about A$1,144,881 per kilometre.

Using median full-time pay of about A$112,944 a year for social workers.

Using median full-time pay of about A$91,572 a year for aged and disabled carers.

Using median full-time pay of about A$69,732 a year for child carers.

Using DAFF's national count of about 87,800 farm businesses in Australia.

Using Foodbank's published donation impact of 2 meals created per dollar as a food-relief proxy for families in a cost-of-living crisis.

Using median full-time pay of about A$70,616 a year across agriculture, forestry and fishing.

Against 437,150 ABS business entries in the latest release.

Using median full-time pay of about A$107,692 a year across professional, scientific and technical services.

Assuming A$17 billion is invested at the end of every year for 30 years and compounds at the Future Fund's since-inception annual return of 7.9% to 30 June 2025.

Using the top end of the Finniss restart-study pre-production capital range, about A$200,000,000, as a rough Australian lithium-mine benchmark.

Using median full-time pay of about A$86,008 a year across manufacturing.

Using median full-time pay of about A$91,520 a year for carpenters and joiners as a practical community-building and repair benchmark.

Using the Australian Defence package value of about A$5,000,000 per gifted M1A1 Abrams tank, based on 49 tanks valued at approximately A$245 million.

Using a rough proxy of about A$1 a round after translating a recent US government 5.56 order price into broad Australian-dollar terms. This is indicative only, not an Australian Defence procurement price.

Using ADF Gap Year pay of about A$82,322 a year as a paid-training-place proxy for new recruits.

Using an AWI December 2025 wool market indicator of about A$15 per kilogram clean wool and assuming a 100g skein.

Using the ABS population estimate of 27.7 million at 30 September 2025.

Final 2025 registered births are not yet published, so this uses the latest ABS 2025 births pace: 295,900 births in the year ending 31 March 2025.

Using Husqvarna Australia's listed ride-away price of about A$18,175 for the FE 350 Heritage.

Simple arithmetic using A$1,500,000 per winner.

Using A$20 for a pub parmi and 52 weeks in a year, or A$1,040 per person.

Using A$30,000 a year as a simple rent proxy for a small business space.

Using A$15 a ticket.

Using the Electric Vehicle Council's count of 103,300 battery-electric vehicles sold in calendar 2025.

Using median full-time pay of about A$108,212 a year for visual arts and crafts professionals.

Simple arithmetic using A$250 per arrangement for an 'I sold out to the gas companies' talking-points tour.

Simple arithmetic using A$100 per card to complete the 12-point misc section with one more cost-of-living reference.