The implementation of a wellbeing framework to measure and report on the performance of NSW government services is one step closer after receiving strong support from parliament’s public accounts committee.
“We support this and recommend that the NSW government ensure the framework is effectively embedded into budgetary and policy development processes,” said committee chair Jason Yat-Sen Li in a report released last month. “This will ensure that wellbeing outcomes directly shape government priorities, resource allocation and program delivery.”
However, while the committee views the framework “as a first step to increase the consideration of people’s wellbeing in NSW”, it notes “scope for improvement” and calls for “robust collaboration across government agencies, local councils, and community groups to deliver effective outcomes”.
The government’s framework sets out a series of indicators to support eight wellbeing outcomes for NSW residents: Healthy, Skilled, Prosperous, Housed, Secure, Connected, Sustainable, and with a strong sense of Community.
Once the framework is enacted, NSW will join other Australian jurisdictions in seeking to integrate wellbeing measures into government performance reporting and budgeting.
In 2008, the Victorian government legislated the Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008, which provides a framework for businesses, councils, the Department of Health and individuals to protect the health and wellbeing of Victorians. In 2021, Tasmania implemented a whole-of-government wellbeing strategy aimed specifically at young people.
But leading the way is ACT, which established a wellbeing framework in 2019. “They are further ahead than other states,” said Diane Bowles – wellbeing policy adviser for independent think tank the Centre for Policy Development. “They had team members from each department come and assess policy against a wellbeing impact assessment.”
Bowles told Government News, before implementing the framework, the ACT government consulted more than 3,000 Canberrans. “They really put in an effort to educate and get understanding upfront.”
Educating people on the merits of adopting wellbeing indicators to inform government decision making is important, said Bowles. “Because cultural change is key for this to be successful.”
The ACT framework records 12 aspects of wellbeing, which reflect the key factors that impact the quality of life of its citizens. And the government regularly publishes datasets to show how well life is going overall for people in the capital.
Both the ACT and NSW wellbeing frameworks align with the national model. Measuring What Matters is a Commonwealth-led initiative that tracks the country’s progress “towards a more healthy, secure, sustainable, cohesive and prosperous” society.
When launching the framework in 2023, Treasurer Jim Chalmers said it was created so the Australian government “can better align our economic and social goals in our communities and right across our country”.
The national framework encompasses five themes:
- healthy – a society in which people feel well and are in good physical and mental health, can access services when they need, and have the information they require to take action to improve their health
- secure – a society where people live peacefully, feel safe, have financial security and access to housing
- sustainable – a society that uses natural and financial resources, protects and repairs the environment and builds resilience to combat challenges
- cohesive – a society that supports connections with family, friends and the community, values diversity, and promotes belonging and culture
- prosperous – a society that has a dynamic, strong economy, invests in people’s skills and education, and provides broad opportunities for employment and well-paid, secure jobs.
A wellbeing approach is about collaboration
Bowles told GN applying a wellbeing approach to decision-making requires holistic thinking. “We don’t live in silos; we live in systems where one policy effects another department and line agencies and things like that. A wellbeing approach is about collaboration and breaking down those silos.”
Such an approach is by no means confined to Australia. Governments around the world have adopted a wellbeing mindset to budgeting, spending and service delivery.
New Zealand has put wellbeing at the centre of its national budget for some years now. The Canadian federal government developed a national quality of life framework and strategy in 2022.
Spain, Germany, Belgium, and Japan have also adopted wellbeing indicators that inform government decision making. Scotland, too, has a long-established wellbeing framework that helps shape the nation’s spending priorities.
“The best example out there is Wales,” said Bowles. Following a national conversation, Wales legislated a Wellbeing of Future Generations Act ten years ago. It also appointed a Future Generations Commissioner. Since then, all public sector decision-making is viewed through a wellbeing lens.
For example, a major road infrastructure project was pulled because it failed to fit the framework and was seen to be detrimental to people’s wellbeing. “They even put a moratorium on new roads because they know – we know – we need to walk more, we need to have great public transport, we need to have 15-minute cities,” said Bowles.
A wellbeing approach to government policy considers the likely impacts decisions will have on future generations, said Bowles. “It involves the people most likely to be affected by decisions and the design of the policies.”
Bowles told GN every country – and even each state in Australia – has wellbeing indicators that are unique to place. “In Wales, what was important was culture and arts and the traditional Welsh language.”
There are also universal themes such as health, security, and prosperity. Paying attention to people’s needs is a positive for all, said Bowles. “When you’re working on what the citizens need or want, then that will have a win/win outcome,” said Bowles. “It’s about better government. And you can’t argue with what the people want for their wellbeing.”
When it was suggested there is a side of politics that would dismiss a wellbeing approach to governance as “wokery”, Bowles said: “There shouldn’t be a politicisation of this. If you look at people wanting to be healthy, people wanting to be secure, people wanting to have housing – how is that political? It shouldn’t be politicised because it’s about the wellbeing of Australians. A wellbeing government sets up an enabling environment for wellbeing for all.”
This story first appeared on Government News. Government News is Australia’s independent online publication reporting on government in Australia.
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