Australia's Power Map
How open data can reshape who holds power. A comprehensive analysis of economic concentration, government spending, and the case for radical transparency.
Executive Summary
Australia is one of the most economically concentrated democracies in the developed world. The revenue of the ASX top 100 companies grew from 27% of GDP in 1993 to 47% by 2015. Two supermarket chains control 65% of grocery spending. The top 10 federal procuring entities account for 87.5% of $99.6 billion in annual government contracts.
Yet despite this extraordinary concentration, no public tool exists that allows ordinary Australians to trace how money moves through the economy. The raw materials already exist — ABN Bulk Extract (10M+ entities), AusTender (450,000+ contracts), ATO tax transparency (4,110+ corporations), ASIC (3M+ companies), ACNC (64,000+ charities). What is missing is the connective tissue.
The Concentration of Power
Corporate Market Dominance
- Supermarkets: Woolworths + Coles = 65% market share (UK top two: 43%, US top four: 34%)
- Banking: Big Four banks dominate retail banking, mortgages, wealth management
- Mining: BHP, Rio Tinto, Fortescue dominate iron ore; Woodside + Santos dominate LNG
- Impact: 25% increase in concentration → 1% fall in productivity (ACCC)
Where Government Money Flows
The Open Data That Already Exists
Every major dataset is free, publicly licensed (CC-BY 3.0), and updated regularly. The critical connector is the Australian Business Number (ABN).
| Dataset | Records | Update | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| ACNC Charities | 64,560 | Bulk CSV | ● Live |
| ASIC Companies | 2,167,341 | Weekly CSV | ● Live |
| AusTender Contracts | 791,173 | OCDS API | ● Live |
| ATO Tax Transparency | 26,241 | Annual XLSX | ● Live |
| ORIC Indigenous Corps | 7,369 | Periodic CSV | ● Live |
| Foundations | 10,837 | AI-enriched | ● Live |
| Grants | 0 | Daily scrape | ● Live |
| Political Donations | 312,933 | Annual ZIP | ● Live |
| SEIFA Disadvantage | 10,572 | Census 2021 | ● Live |
| Postcode Centroids | 12,141 | Community CSV | ● Live |
| ABN Bulk Extract | 10M+ | Weekly XML | ○ Planned |
International Precedents
360Giving
1.25 million grants. GBP 300 billion. 320 publishers. The gold standard for grants transparency.
Australia has no equivalent.
ProPublica + USAspending
100,000+ nonprofits searchable via API. All federal spending traceable from appropriation to expenditure.
Australia has no equivalent.
What We're Building
Australia's first open platform connecting entities, contracts, grants, tax data, and (soon) beneficial ownership.
We are the equivalent.
Why Australia, Why Now
The Beneficial Ownership Window
Parliament passed the beneficial ownership register in Nov 2025, implementing ~2027. The platform that builds entity registry + procurement + grants mapping NOW will be positioned to integrate ownership data the moment it becomes available.
Policy Momentum
- → Social procurement frameworks expanding across all states
- → National social enterprise strategy requiring data infrastructure
- → ACCC merger reform driving demand for concentration data
- → Post-PwC scandal demands for consulting contract transparency
“The data already exists. The connections don't. We're building the connections.”