Canberra Government unveils wellbeing framework

The government of Canberra in Australia has introduced a new 12-point wellbeing framework in order to “make Canberra an even more liveable city where our entire community can thrive.”

This encouraging step towards building a wellbeing economy is based on a broad understanding of wellbeing. The official government website act.gov.au/wellbeing explains the plans as follows:

“Definitions of wellbeing are typically broad and diverse, encompassing a wide range of areas that impact on an individual’s quality of life. Generally, having the opportunity and ability to lead lives of personal and community value – with qualities such as good health, time to enjoy the things in life that matter, in an environment that promotes personal growth – are at the heart of wellbeing.

When talking about individual wellbeing, we often speak to a person’s physical and mental health, the strength of connections they share with people around them, or their financial position. More expansive indicators of wellbeing can be a person’s relationship to their surroundings, such as their safety, their capacity to enjoy and live in harmony with the natural and built environment, or their ability to be mobile in their community. These aspects of wellbeing are not independent of each other. They operate together and influence one another, creating complex relationships that are in turn shaped by an individual’s lived experience.

Our vitality as a city is the result of the various lived experiences across the community. Ultimately, feeling healthy and happy will mean different things to different people. Capturing all these aspects of a person’s lived experience can be inherently complex. Before attempting to measure the wellbeing of our community, we have spoken with and heard from thousands of Canberrans about what they feel is most important to their own, their family’s, and their community’s quality of life.”

Find out more on the ACT government website here.