Australia’s first Wellbeing Framework recognises pivotal role of first five years

The first iteration of Australia’s national wellbeing framework, Measuring What Matters Framework, has been released.

Developed through extensive research and consultation to identify the best available indicators of Australia’s wellbeing, the Framework aims to help the Federal Government better understand what matters most to Australians with the aim of building a healthy, secure, sustainable, cohesive and prosperous Australia for all its people. 

It will also enable the Government to track the nation’s progress towards a more healthy, secure, sustainable, cohesive and prosperous Australia, using five wellbeing 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 sustainably 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.

These themes of the Framework are supported by 12 dimensions that describe aspects of the wellbeing themes and 50 key indicators, to monitor and track progress, which will be updated over time.

Intended as a “living framework”, the document will continue to evolve and improve over time to reflect ongoing feedback from the community, new research, improved data availability, and changing community views.

Commenting on the report’s release, Jessica Rudd, interim CEO of The Parenthood, said the Framework does “two big things”: highlighting the first five years of an Australian’s life as critical for the prosperity of the nation’s people, its communities and the economy; and, sets a benchmark for Australia to “flourish beyond the usual economic indicators”.

“Across each of the Framework’s wellbeing themes and cross-cutting dimensions of inclusion, fairness and equity, Measuring What Matters offers a standalone spotlight on the wellbeing of children in their early years, singling out early childhood outcomes as fundamental to driving wellbeing over a lifetime and for the generations to come,” Ms Rudd said.

“When we afford every child the best opportunity to thrive with equal access to quality education and care from the start, we set Australia up for a prosperous future.”

Read the Framework here.