The Australian Bureau of Statistics has delivered the latest annual update to the Measuring What Matters dashboard as part of the Government’s wellbeing framework.
This is about measuring what matters most to Australians to help deliver better outcomes for our people, our communities and our economy.
This annual update to the dashboard is the second since the first Measuring What Matters Statement in 2023.
The dashboard brings all the publicly available data together in one place and allows anyone to explore the trends which drive wellbeing in Australia under five themes: healthy, secure, sustainable, cohesive and prosperous.
Today’s release updates 44 of the 50 dashboard indicators under these themes.
The data shows a range of improvements including moderations in rental growth and mortgage interest costs, a greater share of lands and waters dedicated to conservation, and continued progress to boost renewables in our economy.
It also highlights challenges, such as a marked decline in the share of Australians who feel safe based on their view of world events over the year to 2025.
We know that timeliness of data releases is a vital part of this framework to improve wellbeing and inform policy change and that’s why we’re providing $14.8 million over five years for the ABS to deliver the General Social Survey on an annual, on‑going basis from 2025.
The results of the revitalised survey will be incorporated into next year’s Measuring What Matters Statement, which will examine trends in more depth to better reflect on how we are tracking over time, where we’re doing well and where we can do better.
The data from the expanded survey will also be used to inform the annual dashboard, by increasing the number of metrics updated annually.
Our wellbeing framework is all about helping to build a stronger, more productive, and more resilient nation that provides more opportunities and delivers a better future for more Australians.
Better data will help deliver better policy outcomes for more Australians and these insights will play an important role in informing government decision making.