The Head of the Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health has welcomed the Federal Government’s Budget announcement that it will release a Measuring What Matters Statement in 2023 as an important step towards improving the quality of life for all Australians.
“When it comes to the health and wellbeing of our population, we are acutely aware of the importance of measuring what matters,” said the Director of the Turner Institute, Professor Kim Cornish.
“Using a wellbeing lens to help determine our policy setting means we are advancing equality of opportunity and improving people’s ability to participate in our community.”
The Government wants to create an Australian framework that will provide a high level view of Australia’s well being and progress in a number of areas like income and employment, personal and community safety, health, education, and the environment.
A number of countries have developed national frameworks to measure their population’s progress and wellbeing.
“Measuring what matters can provide an important foundation for Australia’s efforts to lift living standards, boost intergenerational mobility and create more opportunities for more people,” according to a Treasury statement.
Professor Cornish said it was good to see wellbeing prioritised.
“This shift from purely measuring Australia’s GDP to measuring physical, human, natural and social capital requires ethical considerations and decisions, not just practical ones,” she said.
“We support the Federal Government in prioritising wellbeing, in a measurable, evidence-based and accountable manner.”
The Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health was established in 2018 by Monash University following a philanthropic gift from the David Winston Turner Endowment Fund, enabling ground-breaking research, training and treatment solutions for brain and mental health conditions.
