Income Inequality

Australian income Gini 1996 vs 2022

0.296 to 0.318

Australian wealth Gini 2015 vs 2020

0.593 to 0.611

Gini coefficient formula

A/(A+B) on the Lorenz Curve

Highest vs lowest quintile income share

40% vs 8%

Highest vs lowest quintile wealth share

Over 60% vs less than 1%

Sources of income in Australia

Wages 58%, rent 12%, transfer payments 12%

Sources of wealth in Australia

Occupied property 40%, superannuation 19%, investment properties 16%, savings 7%

Wage growth since 1993

50% economy-wide, only 15% for minimum wage

Underemployment (May 2026)

338,000 had reduced hours

Mining executive wage rise in MBI

30% vs national average of 2.5%

Largest income fall in COVID

0.3% in top decile, 2020

Renters, owners and mortgage holders

One-third each

Tertiary education wage premium

40% higher wages on average

Youth unemployment rate

8%

Income peak age

45–54

Gender pay gap

Male full-time earnings 14% higher (2019), narrowed from 19% in 2014

Surgeon earnings

8x median income

English-speaking migrant earnings

$2,500 more than national average

Non-English speaking migrant earnings

$8,000 less than national average

Non-English speaking migrant wealth

$250,000 less than national average

Metropolitan vs rural NSW earnings

Metro 30% higher on average

First home buyers financed by parents

2 in 5

Housing Australia Future Fund

$10 billion, 30,000 affordable homes; shared equity up to 40% of a property

Investment property ownership

Top 20% own 80%

2026 local housing infrastructure

$2 billion supporting 65,000 new homes

Negative gearing change impact (CBA)

Decrease housing prices by 3%

Compulsory superannuation introduced

1992; 12% of wages in 2025

Superannuation coverage growth

42% to 94%

Median income vs top 1% (2025)

$55,000 vs $375,000

IMF inequality-growth finding

1% increase in top quintile income lowers EG by 0.1%

Transfer payments share of expenditure

One-third

Homeless with mental illness

80% have at least one

MBI traffic controller wages

Up to $150,000 annually in rural WA and NT

Income Gini in 2020-21

0.29, most equal since HILDA began in 2001

Welfare payments in 2026-27 Budget

$309 billion

Lowest quintile disposable income gap

Narrowed from 12:1 to 5:1 in 2022

GST burden on lowest 40%

Earn 12% of income but pay 15% of these taxes

Stage 3 tax cuts brackets

19% to 16% and 32.5% to 30% from 2024

Largest Stage 3 gain

Those earning $135,000, at 2.8%

2026-27 cost of living relief

$2.9 billion to halve fuel excise, $5.9 billion cutting medicine costs

Secondary jobs in 2024

6.9% of jobs

Minimum wage 2024

Up 3.75% to $24.10

Minimum wage 2026

Up 4.75% to $26.44, targeting 55% of median full-time earnings

Carbon tax compensation

Tax-free threshold raised from $6,000 to $18,200