Over recent years,there has been a drop in the number of people saying they feel lonely. The amount of leisure time enjoyed by men and women has been steady (we spend about 3.5 hours a day watching television and more than two hours listening to the radio or podcasts).
But we are reducing the time given to volunteer work – about a quarter of us help in the community compared with a third in 2019.
The wellbeing report canvasses important economic issues such as the level of debt held by governments (Australia has gone backwards since 2008) and national income per person (which has lifted over the past two decades).
While Australia is the world’s 12th largest economy,the report points out its narrow foundation. On a measure of economic complexity,which tracks how a nation channels knowledge into more complex industries,Australia ranks 91st out of 133.
Australia,on his metric,is ranked behind Kenya and Laos while being just ahead of Bangladesh and Tajikistan.
We’ve got richer,with national annual income per person climbing 40 per cent to more than $68,000 since 2002-03. As for income and wealth inequality,little has changed since 2008.
Australians are also increasingly satisfied with their jobs. Women – who have entered the jobs market in record numbers over the past six years – are the most upbeat.
However,in many areas,Australia is going backwards. There has been a 55 per cent drop in the number of 278 monitored species of animals,birds,reptiles and fish. More people are likely to endure homelessness.
While Australians’ trust in their neighbours has increased,trust in the federal government has fallen.
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When Chalmers announced the idea of a wellbeing budget,then-treasurer Josh Frydenberg derided the idea while suggesting his political opponent had emerged from a Himalayan ashram.
But the wellbeing program director with the Centre for Policy Development think tank,Warwick Smith,said the report would be a key step in measuring all those issues important to Australians.
“The traditional measures are important,but they don’t give the full picture. Think of this as an upgrade from street directory to GPS,” he said.
Chalmers said it was important to understand the economic challenges facing the country and broader concerns that went to the heart of a person’s wellbeing.
“The government’s primary focus is addressing inflation and laying the foundations for future growth,but it is important that we simultaneously work on better aligning our economic and social goals in our communities and right across the country,” he said.
“While Australia performs relatively well compared to similar countries on international indicators,we know there is more we can do to improve the wellbeing of our people and communities.”
It’s unclear whether the government will carry out a full wellbeing report every year as many measures are tracked only periodically.
Cut through the noise of federal politics with news,views and expert analysis from Jacqueline Maley. Subscribers can sign up to our weekly Inside Politics newsletterhere.