Thank you for the invitation to join you for the launch of Survey 42 of the Australian Unity Wellbeing Index.
I acknowledge the Ngunnawal people, Traditional Custodians of the land on which we meet, and pay my respects to Elders past and present. It's a pleasure to speak alongside lead researcher Kate Lycett of Deakin University and the retiring (but never shy) Australian Unity CEO Rohan Mead.
For a quarter of a century, the Australian Unity Wellbeing Index has taken the pulse of our nation's happiness. Long before governments began talking about dashboards and frameworks, this project quietly asked Australians the most important question of all: how satisfied are you with your life?
The Index reminds us that progress is not only what we produce, but how we feel. It is not just the quarterly accounts; it is whether people believe they are living lives of purpose and connection.
National wellbeing: a steady pulse with warning lights
The 2025 survey captures both optimism and strain. Personal wellbeing has held steady, with a small rise to a score of 68. National wellbeing has lifted more strongly, up 3 points to 55, reflecting improved satisfaction with government and the economy.
It is striking that these gains come despite a testing year of cost‑of‑living pressures, natural disasters, and international turmoil. Australians seem to be separating their sense of national direction from their private anxieties, perhaps seeing signs that the country is on a better path even as personal budgets remain tight.
The Index also maps wellbeing down to the level of federal electorates, an innovation that mirrors the granularity of our Measuring What Matters dashboard. Seven electorates stand out for high wellbeing across both personal and national measures: Canberra, Berowra, Bradfield, Mitchell, Goldstein, Curtin and Tangney. My own electorate of Fenner is hot on their heels.
These are largely urban and relatively affluent areas. At the other end are electorates such as Blair, Forde and Spence, where wellbeing is lower on both fronts. The report reminds us that geography and inequality intertwine. Income, housing tenure and age all shape how people rate their lives. Renters, younger Australians and the unemployed consistently report lower wellbeing.
From wellbeing data to wellbeing policy
This year's findings echo what we see in the government's Measuring What Matters framework, our national wellbeing dashboard structured around 5 themes: healthy, secure, sustainable, cohesive and prosperous.
When we updated the dashboard in September, we saw some encouraging shifts: rental growth and mortgage interest costs moderating, more of our lands and waters dedicated to conservation, and steady progress in renewable energy. But we also saw warning signs, such as fewer Australians feeling safe, and persistent gaps in financial security and belonging.
Both datasets, the Measuring What Matters dashboard and the Australian Unity Index, point to the same conclusion: that wellbeing is multi‑dimensional, interdependent, and uneven. And both exist for the same reason: because what we measure shapes what we strive to improve.
The Albanese government's wellbeing framework is about building a stronger, fairer and more resilient nation. That means looking beyond the GDP headline to the conditions that underpin genuine progress: good health, steady jobs, social cohesion, environmental sustainability, and opportunity shared widely.
Better data means better policy. That is why we are investing $14.8 million for the Australian Bureau of Statistics to deliver an annual General Social Survey starting this year, ensuring more timely updates to the wellbeing indicators.
The story beneath the numbers
Statistics do not hug us when we are lonely or rebuild our homes after a flood. They tell us where to look, not what to feel.
The Wellbeing Index shows that rural Australians report slightly higher personal wellbeing, largely due to stronger personal relationships and community ties, even though they face tougher access to health services. In the cities, satisfaction with health is higher, but relationships are weaker. The social fabric changes its weave from region to region.
These insights are a reminder that policy levers must pull in different directions depending on place. In some electorates, wellbeing might rise with affordable housing or better local health services. In others, the key might be community connection, rebuilding the civic trust that makes people feel seen and safe.
The real power of wellbeing data lies in its capacity to guide not just national governments, but local councils, community organisations and businesses that want to make a difference where people actually live.
Towards a wellbeing economy
For too long, there have been some who defined success by growth alone. GDP will always matter, it pays the bills, but it does not tell us whether people are thriving. If income rises while mental health declines, or if jobs grow while trust erodes, can we truly call that progress?
A wellbeing economy recognises that prosperity and purpose must go hand in hand. It is not anti‑growth; it is better growth, growth that is inclusive, sustainable and human‑centred.
That is the spirit behind Measuring What Matters. And it is why today's report is so valuable. The Australian Unity Wellbeing Index gives us not just data points but direction, a compass for a country that wants to be judged not only by the wealth it creates, but by the lives it enables.
Conclusion
Robert Cummins, co‑founder scholar of the Australian Unity Wellbeing Index, writes in a forward to the report that he hopes it will be 'seriously considered by those in power as a complementary indicator of national performance and progress to dominant economic measures, such as GDP'. I'm happy to say that the government does indeed take wellbeing seriously. In the spirit of the Australian Unity Wellbeing Index, we are building the evidence base for a more balanced scorecard of success, one that values health and harmony alongside income and industry.
Thank you to Deakin University and Australian Unity for helping us understand not just how our nation performs, but how our people are doing. Because measuring what matters most is how we make progress that matters for everyone.
