Feeling healthy and happy and having great wellbeing will mean different things to different people. Capturing all these aspects of a person’s lived experience can be hard. To create a Wellbeing Framework for Canberra, we spoke with and heard from thousands of Canberrans about what they felt was most important to their own, their family’s, and their community’s quality of life.
What we heard from the community in developing the Framework...
- "Knowing about services, supports and opportunities & being able to access them as equally as everyone else."
- "I feel safe as a diverse person in public spaces.”
- "Feeling included in the community especially if you do not fit a cookie cutter shape."
The Framework was developed through an extensive process of community consultation in 2019-20. We heard from nearly 3000 Canberrans about what was most important to their quality of life. From Gungahlin to Lanyon, from food pantries to Floriade, to evening gatherings over pizza with young people and people of multicultural background, morning teas with seniors, and through the YourSay Community Panel, we heard the stories and experiences of people from across the ACT.
A Consultation Summary Report provides further details of the consultation journey for the Wellbeing Framework, including the many groups we engaged with, and how feedback from the community shaped the Framework at every step.
Why should the ACT have a Wellbeing Framework?
The way we measure our progress as a Territory drives the public conversation and helps to frame the Government’s focus for decision making and investment.
By turning our attention to indicators of social progress and considering them alongside the economic issues we also measure, we can form a clearer picture of the broader effects that policy and non-policy factors have on our people, businesses, places and systems.
The ACT Wellbeing Framework provides high-level indicator outcomes for Canberra. The indicators in this Framework are informed by measures that use both people’s subjective interpretations of quality of life, and data that charts objective progress. Subjective measures consider an individual’s own preferences, needs, and experiences. Objective measures are those that can be recorded by an external observer and are frequently used as part of existing statistical frameworks. Each have an important role in a wellbeing framework.
Measuring those factors that drive the wellbeing of Canberrans helps us to evaluate policy and programs and guide future policy design and decision making and ensure these are being given the best chance of providing outcomes that benefit the overall wellbeing of all Canberrans on measures that matter to them. Measuring wellbeing helps us understand how we can further improve the lives of all Canberrans and support those who need it most.
The Framework also helps to inform the community and community groups as to progress and thereby assist the community to consider where and how they can best contribute to improving the wellbeing of Canberrans.
