Transcript A Youth-Friendly Maryborough?

Measuring Progress:
From Theory to Practice
A Community Perspective
NatStats
Sydney
Friday, September 17, 2010
Urban Research Program
www.griffith.edu.au/centre/urp
A Community Perspective
1.
The most important community issues regarding
measuring progress
2.
Are we measuring the right issues in the community and
if so, are they being measured in the right way?
3.
What is the most practical issue that could be solved
immediately?
Urban Research Program
www.griffith.edu.au/centre/urp
GDP/GNP as a measure of progress?
"Yet the gross national product does not allow for the health of our children,
the quality of their education, or the joy of their play. It does not include the
beauty of our poetry or the strength of our marriages; the intelligence of our
public debate or the integrity of our public officials. It measures neither our wit
nor our courage; neither our wisdom nor our learning; neither our compassion
nor our devotion to our country; it measures everything, in short, except that
which makes life worthwhile. And it tells us everything about America except
why we are proud that we are Americans."
Robert F. Kennedy Address, University of Kansas, March 18, 1968
Urban Research Program
www.griffith.edu.au/centre/urp
John Stuart Mill (1850s)
"Those only are happy who have their minds fixed on some object
other than their own happiness.”
Urban Research Program
www.griffith.edu.au/centre/urp
What do we mean by community indicators?
Community Indicators are not simply about
the progress of communities but developed,
implemented, reviewed and sustained by a
collaboration of widespread community
representatives.
The idea of people taking charge of their own measurements
of progress is a powerful and far reaching innovation that can
bring about a new sense of civic engagement.
Sustainable Seattle
Urban Research Program
www.griffith.edu.au/centre/urp
Challenges for Australian CWB indicators
Stronger coordination and wider dissemination of
knowledge and good practice models, including the
continuing development of MAP2.0, a uniform national
wellbeing framework, and the development of equivalent
state level measures;
Wider community input into, and debate about, key
measures of progress and wellbeing to ensure their wider
legitimacy and to promote community engagement and
ownership;
Urban Research Program
www.griffith.edu.au/centre/urp
Challenges for Australian CWB indicators
Building progress and wellbeing measures more directly
into government planning and policy making (rather than
their being an optional, external reference point) and
improving the capacity of those in government and the
community to understand and use them;
Stronger national and state level efforts to harness
important administrative data of government agencies that
is currently incomplete or inaccessible;
Urban Research Program
www.griffith.edu.au/centre/urp
Challenges for Australian CWB indicators
Developing better indicators and data collections in a
number of important but poorly covered areas such as:
subjective wellbeing generally; social capital, social
inclusion, and community connectedness; civic
participation; democracy; citizenship; human rights;
More attractive and accessible presentation of progress
and wellbeing data through education materials and
especially websites.
Urban Research Program
www.griffith.edu.au/centre/urp
Challenges for Australian CWB indicators
Development of a national research program on progress
and wellbeing indicators that is long term and
collaborative;
Continuing and strengthening Australian international
collaboration on indicator development, through bodies
like the OECD, the UN and the EU, but also with less
developed countries in our region.
Urban Research Program
www.griffith.edu.au/centre/urp
Most Practical Issue
Australian Network of Community Indicators Practitioners
and Researchers
Contact:
Sue West (CIV)
[email protected]
Urban Research Program
www.griffith.edu.au/centre/urp
Community Well-Being in an Unwell World
Urban Research Program
www.griffith.edu.au/centre/urp
Goodna Service Integration Project (SIP)
Urban Research Program
www.griffith.edu.au/centre/urp