If you are working, renting and childless, you might feel Australian democracy neglects you. For a start, you are not one of the ''working families'' - that cosseted cohort of propertied Australians with young children whom politicians love to pamper.

The government puts your money where its mouth is. Taxpayers foot a yearly bill of $30 billion for the smorgasbord of child-based payments and subsidies, equivalent to about one-quarter of income tax. The baby bonus, which costs about $1 billion a year, is a mere tip.

Fair go ... not all renters are shortchanged by government. Credit:Glen Hunt

Add the first home owner's grant and the huge tax breaks for owner-occupiers, and it does appear childless renters are among the great benefactors of Australian democracy.

More than one-fifth of Australian households rented privately in 2006, up more than 10 per cent from a decade earlier. With a median age of 37, renters are 15 years younger than homeowners and less likely to have children. Only 20 per cent of couples with children rent.