The Australian Government has signalled its intention to go beyond traditional macroeconomic indicators to measure the wellbeing and progress of Australians as part of the policy making process. The October 2022 Budget was the first step in this process and was followed by Treasury’s consultation on the development of a wellbeing measurement framework for Australia.
Psychologists are leaders in research, theory and practice in relation to both measurement and wellbeing. The Australian Psychological Society (APS) therefore welcomes the Government’s commitment to understanding and promoting the wellbeing of Australians and was pleased to make a submission to this consultation process.
Our submission focused on several key issues:
- Wellbeing is a concept that has many meanings and parts, and it is important to have a clear and workable definition that is useful and appropriate for public policy. Arriving at this definition should form part of an Australian wellbeing measurement framework which also sets out a transparent and best-practice process for measuring wellbeing and interpreting the data.
- Given the dynamic and contextual nature of wellbeing, indicators should be timely and responsive, as outdated or irrelevant data may be worse than no data at all;
- A single national average is insufficient when presenting wellbeing indicator data. Indicators should be sufficiently granular to inform policy analysis and development. Variability in wellbeing should be captured and communicated. We must also be careful that national averages do not operate to undermine the experiences of marginalised groups or those who already struggle to be heard and understood.
- We suggest that the current list of proposed indicators should be supplemented by more holistic measures including:
- Personal wellbeing, mental health and psychological capital;
- Access and affordability of health and mental health services across Australia;
- Preparedness and response capability for natural disasters; and
- Specific measures relating to the wellbeing of children and young people and First Nations Australians.
As such, we recommend that the Government establish an independent committee – with sufficient representation from psychologists and psychological scientists – to provide advice on the development of an Australian wellbeing framework and the selection, application and evaluation of wellbeing indicators.
The APS looks forward to continuing our work together with the Government on promoting the wellbeing of all Australians.
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