Estimate of environmental expenditure 2022/23: Method and results

^{Gordon Haws, Flickr}

The Commissioner has published an updated estimate of environmental spending incurred by central government. The estimate shows that for the 2022/23 fiscal year, the government spent $3.5 billion on environmental protection and resource management.

As well as presenting a total estimate of expenditure, figures are also broken down by government agency and mapped against environmental outcomes. This gives an indication of the distribution of spending across agencies, and the environmental issues this spending is being directed towards.

This 2022/23 estimate updates the previous assessment of environmental expenditure published with Environmental reporting, research and investment: Do we know if we’re making a difference? In that report, the Commissioner made a commitment to produce regular estimates of environmental expenditure to enable parliamentarians to exercise an appropriate level of scrutiny over government spending decisions.

This note represents the first in a series of annual updates that aims to ensure parliamentarians have accessible and timely information.