11 March 2025
Where are we up to?
With a great deal of fanfare on the day he was formally sworn in as Federal Treasurer of the current Labor Government, Dr Jim Chalmers reiterated the need for better ways to measure progress:
“It is really important that we measure what matters in our economy in addition to all of the traditional measures. Not instead of, but in addition to. I do want to have better ways to measure progress, and to measure the intergenerational consequences of our policies.”
The release of the Australian Treasury’s Measuring What Matters statement was an important step towards better Government decision-making and a shared vision for the nation we want, but it’s only the first step.
The wellbeing framework is an attempt to bring those ideas into being. The need for different economic thinking is demonstrated in many ways, including the current housing crisis, worsening climate change, the loss of biodiversity and increases in financial stress and mental illness.
Developing a wellbeing framework was designed to bring Australia into line with many forward-thinking democracies.
Why does CHF support the Wellbeing Budget?
From CHF’s point of view we have strongly supported the Government’s intention to improve its measurement of Australians’ wellbeing and quality of life, and its plan to use those indicators for future Budgets and assessment of progress.
Our consultation with consumers shows they largely agree on what matters to them, as well as how they would like these factors to be measured and reported.
Overall, consumers want robust data on the following factors which align with the OECD framework:
Income and wealth
Housing
Health
Education
Social supports.
However, given good health is not evenly distributed across the population, with some groups experiencing avoidable differences in health, wellbeing, and longevity. Consumers want new indicators stratified to highlight these differences for policymaking and evaluation.
Our 2020 report Making Health Better Together highlighted those factors such as geography, age, gender identity, sexual orientation, culture, language, health status and economic means are associated with different levels of access to healthcare.
Consumers have a strong desire for Government to address inequities, so they want to see the connection between these factors and access to healthcare and health outcomes measured more precisely to inform policy. Any analysis of new indicators should particularly focus on health outcomes for people and communities living with health disadvantage.
In our 2025 Budget submission CHF made a number of key recommendations for investment in and reform of the health sector by including the following programs and initiatives:
Reform and refocus the Health Peak Advisory Body Program.
Reform the primary care system with improved bulk billing options and safety nets.
Reform the oral healthcare system.
Reform the specialist referral process.
Invest in the CHF Consumer Assembly.
Invest in CHF as the co-ordinator of national health peak sector development.
Invest in CHF to address Safety and Quality and Workforce matters.
Invest in CHF as the coordinator of consumer health research.
Invest in CHF and consumer education.
Invest in CHF and the Coalition for Preventive Health Funding.
What progress has been made over the last 2 + years?
There had been media reports suggesting that the Wellbeing Framework was to be scrapped. However, the Treasurer announced responsibility for the dashboard would move from the Treasury to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) and that the ABS would get extra funding to run an expanded general social survey every year to improve the quality and timeliness of the data.
It is understood, the statement would remain the responsibility of the Treasury but would be released only every three years instead of annually. The next would be published in 2026 incorporating the first results from the ABS’ new survey.
As with most of these endeavours, the critical test will be how it is used to improve decision-making. It has not yet resulted in any radical change, but the ambition is substantial.
Shifting the way Governments make decisions and allocate resources is hard, and it was never going to be accomplished overnight.
Are there decisions made which constitute delivering on wellbeing?
By handing over the data side of things to the ABS, the Treasury will now, hopefully, be able to focus more on embedding the framework into decisions, including Budget decisions.
Since making the commitment to introducing a Wellbeing Budget and Plan, there has been substantial consultation led by the Treasury Department.
The Government has also implemented a number of programs and policies that provide substantial benefits to the Australian community.
These include the following;
Tax cuts for every taxpayer
$300 off power bills
Cheaper medicines
Free TAFE
Free Medicare Urgent Care Clinics
Three increases to the minimum wage
Cheaper childcare
Pay rises to aged care workers and childcare workers
Reducing HECS Debts
Many of these “qualify” as being for the improved wellbeing of the community.
What about the lead up to the next Election?
There is going to be a Federal Election sometime in the early part of 2025. Indeed, there is a faux election campaign already underway. To this end both major parties have made a number of pre-election announcements. Labor has announced –
Measures to incentivise more GP bulk billing (matched by the Coalition).
Boost to the future GP Workforce.
Creation of more Medicare Urgent Care Centres.
Why does all this matter?
Everyone has a different perspective on what contributes to their wellbeing. Finding indicators with the breadth and specificity to penetrate the complexity of our experiences of wellbeing that can produce powerful yet accessible insights for all Australians is a big ask. It is also an essential criterion for success.
Consumers emphasise that they are not just interested in their own wellbeing but in the wellbeing of all Australians. They want to see a set of indicators that reflect the diversity of lived experience which clearly show what impact Government policies and initiatives have in reducing real and perceived inequities.
The development of indicators should be a dynamic and iterative process. It should not be constrained by what data sets we have available now. Australians expect increasing levels of accountability and engagement from their Governments.
They expect more than bland reports which are impenetrable and unhelpful. The public measurement of national wellbeing has the potential to restore trust in Government and increase citizen activation.
CHF’s hope is that health consumers, a group whose wellbeing is often challenged, are gladly welcomed to the table as this process begins.
While some headway has been made CHF will continue to advocate for moving the wellbeing agenda forward and in the process offer to the Government our preparedness to contribute to the process in meaningful and constructive ways.
What are the challenges ahead?
So in framing a response we ask our Members and Stakeholders a number of key questions:
What does a Wellbeing Budget mean to your organisation and to you individually?
What areas do you think Governments should prioritise?
How do you recommend CHF should continue to advocate for embedding wellbeing measures into future policies and programs?
We look forward to hearing from you and continuing the discussion on a National Wellbeing Budget and its role in key decision making which affects all consumers and the broad Australian community.
