What I've found
Ranked by dollar impactSydney Metro City & Southwest: $9 Billion Blowout
Sydney Metro City & Southwest ballooned from an $11.5B estimate to $20.5B — a $9 billion overrun. Underestimated CBD underground station complexity, design changes, vendor disputes...
NSW Education: $6.8 Billion in Restatements and Delegation Breaches
Across 2021-2023, NSW Education and TAFE NSW made $6.8 billion in cumulative asset revaluations after years of incorrect building valuation assumptions. TAFE NSW also contravened t...
NSW State Deficit: $5.1 Billion Operating Loss, $165B in Debt
NSW recorded a $5.1 billion General Government Sector operating deficit in 2024-25 — the opposite of the forecast surplus. State debt stands at $165.2 billion with interest costs o...
Sydney Metro Northwest Cost Blowout: $3.5B Over Budget
The Sydney Metro Northwest project ballooned from an initial $8.3B budget to $11.8B — a $3.5B overrun. The NSW Audit Office found inadequate risk management, scope creep, and contr...
Western Sydney Airport Rail: $2.2 Billion Dispute, Delayed to 2027
The 23km Western Sydney Airport rail line faces a $2.2 billion additional cost claim from the Parklife Metro consortium. Scope creep, European train delivery delays, and contractor...
WestConnex Motorway: $5.3B Government Subsidy for a Tollway Nobody Owns Anymore
The NSW Government injected $5.3 billion in subsidies and equity into WestConnex before selling it to Transurban for $9.26 billion in 2018. The NSW Audit Office found the business ...
Sydney CBD & South East Light Rail: $1 Billion Blowout
The CBD and South East Light Rail project blew out from $2.1B to $3.1B — a $1 billion overrun. Contract disputes, utility coordination failures with Ausgrid and Sydney Water, and c...
NSW Social Housing: 33-Day Fill Times, 9,280 Applications Backlogged
NSW social housing takes 33 days to fill a vacant property — 267% longer than the 9-day target. Homes NSW had 9,280 applications awaiting initial assessment, with 4,094 outstanding...
Service NSW Digital Transformation Outsourcing: $2.1B in Untendered IT Contracts
Service NSW awarded $2.1 billion in ICT contracts between 2020–2024, with 74% granted through direct negotiation rather than open tender. The NSW Audit Office found the agency lack...
NSW Department of Education ICT: $890M in Contracts With No Measurable Outcomes
The NSW Department of Education spent $890 million on ICT systems and digital learning platforms between 2019–2024. The NSW Audit Office found 61% of contracts had no measurable pe...
NSW Regional Roads Fund: $334M Allocated Without Business Cases
Transport for NSW released $334M in Regional Roads Fund grants without completed business cases, above-policy contingency approvals, and non-compliance with the Grants Administrati...
NSW Local Government: 1,131 Audit Findings Across 128 Councils, 40% Repeats
The NSW Auditor-General's 2022-23 local government audit found 1,131 audit findings across 128 councils — up from 1,045 the prior year. Forty percent are repeat findings not resolv...
NSW Health Consultancy Spend: $780M in Five Years — 38% Through Single-Vendor Panels
NSW Health spent $780 million on external consultants between 2019–2024, with 38% flowing through a single preferred-supplier panel managed by PricewaterhouseCoopers. The NSW Audit...
NSW Police Technology Program: $155M Spent, One System Replaced
NSW Police spent $155M across 2021-2025 but replaced only 1 of 5 core legacy systems. A contractor was terminated in 2022, delivery slipped four years to June 2031, and the full pr...
NSW Visiting Medical Officers: Weak Payment Controls Across $1B+ Annual Spend
NSW Health spends over $1 billion annually on Visiting Medical Officers but the NSW Auditor-General found no statewide governance, ineffective internal controls at Local Health Dis...
Racing for the Regions: $61.8M in Grants With Outdated Timelines and Zero Oversight
The Racing for the Regions program signed a $61.8M funding deed with Racing NSW 21 months after the business case. Three projects had already been completed before government annou...
NSW Waste Levy: Grants Without Strategy, Recycling Targets Missed
The NSW Auditor-General found the waste levy and infrastructure grants operated without a clear statewide investment strategy. Grant programs lacked effectiveness metrics and accou...