[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":168},["ShallowReactive",2],{"active-categories":3,"blowouts":28,"tag-blowouts":83},[4,6,8,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24,25,26,27],{"category":5},"follow-the-money",{"category":7},"cost-of-living",{"category":9},"government-waste",{"category":9},{"category":9},{"category":7},{"category":7},{"category":9},{"category":9},{"category":5},{"category":9},{"category":9},{"category":7},{"category":9},{"category":9},{"category":9},{"category":7},{"category":5},{"category":7},{"category":9},{"category":9},[29,39,49,58,66,75],{"path":30,"title":31,"category":9,"date":32,"blowout":33},"\u002Fstories\u002Fbom-website-96-million-one-year-on","One year on: the BOM website that cost $96.5 million, not $4 million","2026-10-24",{"project":34,"originalCost":35,"currentCost":36,"announced":37,"note":38},"BOM website",4100000,96500000,"2025","$4.1m was the figure first given to the public.",{"path":40,"title":41,"category":9,"date":42,"blowout":43},"\u002Fstories\u002Fcross-river-rail-cost-blowout-19-billion","Cross River Rail was sold as a $5.4 billion project. The government now says it costs $19 billion","2026-10-25",{"project":44,"originalCost":45,"currentCost":46,"announced":47,"note":48},"Cross River Rail",5400000000,19041000000,"2017","Queensland Government figure (Oct 2025). It includes 25 years of tunnel maintenance and network works; Labor disputes counting them.",{"path":50,"title":51,"category":9,"date":42,"blowout":52},"\u002Fstories\u002Fhunter-class-frigates-27-billion-three-ships","Hunter-class frigates: sold as nine warships for $35 billion. We're now paying $27 billion for three",{"project":53,"originalCost":54,"currentCost":55,"announced":56,"note":57},"Hunter-class frigates",35000000000,45600000000,"2018","2020 Force Structure Plan estimate for nine ships. The program is now six ships; close to $27bn is allocated for the first three, including the Osborne shipyard.",{"path":59,"title":60,"category":9,"date":42,"blowout":61},"\u002Fstories\u002Finland-rail-cost-blowout-45-billion-parkes","Inland Rail was sold as a $10.7 billion project. It now costs $45.6 billion, and stops at Parkes",{"project":62,"originalCost":63,"currentCost":55,"announced":64,"note":65},"Inland Rail",10660000000,"2015","Both P90 estimates for the full Melbourne to Brisbane line. Only Beveridge to Parkes is now being built.",{"path":67,"title":68,"category":9,"date":42,"blowout":69},"\u002Fstories\u002Fnorth-east-link-cost-blowout-26-billion","North East Link was sold as a $10 billion road. It now costs $26 billion",{"project":70,"originalCost":71,"currentCost":72,"announced":73,"note":74},"North East Link",10000000000,26100000000,"2016","Victoria's December 2023 estimate. Includes the Eastern Freeway and M80 upgrades added since.",{"path":76,"title":77,"category":9,"date":42,"blowout":78},"\u002Fstories\u002Fsnowy-2-0-cost-blowout-25-billion","Snowy 2.0 was sold as a $2 billion project. It could now cost $25 billion",{"project":79,"originalCost":80,"currentCost":81,"announced":47,"note":82},"Snowy 2.0",2000000000,22200000000,"Target cost. Up to $25bn with contingency; transmission not included.",[84,102,114,126,136,146,157],{"path":85,"title":86,"description":87,"date":88,"category":9,"author":89,"image":90,"imageAlt":90,"bigNumber":91,"bigNumberLabel":92,"readingTime":93,"featured":94,"tags":95},"\u002Fstories\u002Fsuburban-rail-loop-cost-96-billion","Suburban Rail Loop cost: $50bn promised, $96.4bn forecast","How much will the Suburban Rail Loop cost? $33.3bn for stage one, says the government, but the Auditor-General says it could top $36bn. Two stages: $96.4bn.","2026-11-01","Aussie Outrage",null,"$96.4bn","What Victoria's Parliamentary Budget Office estimated in 2024 it would cost to build two sections of the loop. All of it was promised for $50bn.",12,false,[96,97,98,99,100,101],"suburban-rail-loop","big-build","victoria","blowouts","infrastructure","tunnels",{"path":40,"title":41,"description":103,"date":42,"category":9,"author":89,"image":104,"imageAlt":105,"bigNumber":106,"bigNumberLabel":107,"readingTime":108,"featured":94,"tags":109},"Brisbane's Cross River Rail was promised for $5.4bn by 2024. The Queensland Government now puts it at $19.04bn, with first trains in 2029. Labor says the books were cooked.","\u002Fimages\u002Fcross-river-rail-roma-street-site.jpg","A large grey Cross River Rail construction shed at the Roma Street station site in Brisbane","3.5x","Cross River Rail's cost now, on the Queensland Government's count, compared with the $5.4bn first promised",5,[110,111,112,113,101,99],"cross-river-rail","queensland","brisbane","rail",{"path":50,"title":51,"description":115,"date":42,"category":9,"author":89,"image":116,"imageAlt":117,"bigNumber":118,"bigNumberLabel":119,"readingTime":120,"featured":94,"tags":121},"The Hunter-class frigate program was cut from nine ships to six, and close to $27bn is now set aside for the first three. The first won't arrive until 2032.","\u002Fimages\u002Fhms-glasgow-type-26.jpg","The grey British frigate HMS Glasgow on a semi-submersible barge at a Glasgow shipyard at sunset","$27bn","Set aside for the first three Hunter-class frigates, out of a program once sold as nine ships for $35bn",6,[122,123,124,125,99],"defence","hunter-class","bae-systems","shipbuilding",{"path":59,"title":60,"description":127,"date":42,"category":9,"author":89,"image":128,"imageAlt":129,"bigNumber":130,"bigNumberLabel":131,"readingTime":120,"featured":94,"tags":132},"Inland Rail's full cost is now $45.6bn, four times the 2015 business case. In May the government stopped it at Parkes, 1,000km short of Brisbane.","\u002Fimages\u002Fparkes-railway-station.jpg","The red-brick Parkes railway station building under a clear blue sky","4x","Inland Rail's latest full cost compared with its 2015 business case",[133,134,100,135,99],"inland-rail","artc","freight",{"path":67,"title":68,"description":137,"date":42,"category":9,"author":89,"image":138,"imageAlt":139,"bigNumber":140,"bigNumberLabel":141,"readingTime":142,"featured":94,"tags":143},"Melbourne's North East Link was unveiled at $10bn in 2016. It's now $26.1bn, Victoria's most expensive road. The Treasurer said 60% of the rise was the government's own choices.","\u002Fimages\u002Fnorth-east-link-bulleen.jpg","An aerial view of North East Link works at Bulleen, with two red and white cranes above the site","2.6x","North East Link's cost now, compared with the $10bn it was unveiled at in 2016",4,[144,97,98,145,101,99],"north-east-link","roads",{"path":76,"title":77,"description":147,"date":42,"category":9,"author":89,"image":148,"imageAlt":149,"bigNumber":150,"bigNumberLabel":151,"readingTime":152,"featured":153,"tags":154},"Snowy 2.0 was sold at $2 billion in 2017. Snowy Hydro's new target cost is $22.2 billion, up to $25 billion, and first power is now 2029. How it blew out.","\u002Fimages\u002Fsnowy-hydro.jpg","Pipelines run down a hillside to a power station on the Snowy Mountains Scheme","12x","Snowy 2.0's possible final cost compared with the 2017 price tag",9,true,[155,156,100,99],"snowy-hydro","energy",{"path":30,"title":31,"description":158,"date":32,"category":9,"author":89,"image":159,"imageAlt":160,"bigNumber":161,"bigNumberLabel":162,"readingTime":120,"featured":94,"tags":163},"The weather bureau's redesign launched days before a wild storm weekend, confused farmers, and cost 23 times what Australians were first told. Then the same contractor won more work.","\u002Fimages\u002Fbom-berrimah-radar-darwin.jpg","The white dome of a Bureau of Meteorology weather radar on a tower at Berrimah, Darwin","$96.5m","What the BOM website really cost, after the public was told $4.1m",[164,165,166,167,99],"bureau-of-meteorology","consultants","accenture","it-projects",1793703844386]