Season 3, Ep 2: The road to wellbeing

Imagine if we put wellbeing at the heart of government. Imagine a National Conversation that kicks off and creates shared goals for the ‘Australia We Want’, with input from all corners of society.

Our former Treasurer may have mocked wellbeing budgets as all mala beads and incense, but more than half the countries in the OECD have some form of wellbeing framework in place. If we get this right in Australia it could be both practical and powerful — even transformative, for our country.

Our next guest, Dr Cressida Gaukroger, is a global expert on wellbeing government. She joins us for a fascinating look at what’s happening globally, what works and what doesn’t, and why she’s completely changed her mind on how ambitious we should be.

Cressida is a Senior Policy Advisor on Wellbeing with the Centre for Policy Development. She’s taught ethics at Oxford, has PhD in Philosophy and writes children’s stories in her spare time in a genre she lovingly refers to as “parents’ revenge”.

This episode of the reMAKERS was recorded in Gubbi Gubbi Country on the Sunshine Coast of Queensland, as well as the lands of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin nation in Melbourne. We honour Traditional Owners of these lands and waters, and pay our respect to Elders past, present and emerging.

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Show notes

Things we mention

• Amartya Sen’s ‘Capability Approach’ to wellbeing

• Welsh Well-being of Future Generations Act

• The Thodey Review (an independent review into Australian public service)

• Australia reMADE’s work on what we want the public service to be

• How Glasgow took a ‘radically different approach’ to tackling knife crime

• Victorian Early Intervention Investment Framework

• Treasurer Jim Chalmers’ article in The Monthly about values-based capitalism

• The Wales We Want National Conversation

• Office of the Future Generations Commissioner in Wales

Recommendations

• Sophie Howe’s John Menadue Oration in Australia

• “Government Can Do Amazing Things,” by Dr Millie Rooney, Australia reMADE

• “The Makings of a Vision” — the backstory to the making of the vision of an Australia reMADE

Things you can do

• Check out the upcoming Wellbeing Economy Forum in Iceland (you can register to attend online).

• Learn How to host a Kitchen Table Conversation.

• Write a letter to the editor, kick off a conversation online or in your networks about these ideas.

• Tell your MP you want a National Conversation for the ‘Australia We Want’.

• Write to the Treasurer as Treasury considers next steps in Australia’s wellbeing budget development.

• Donate to support the podcast and more of these conversations.

• Subscribe to the reMAKERS podcast. Share on social, write a review, tell a friend.

• Join the conversation. Find us on social media (@Australia reMADE), leave a message for the show by calling (02) 7257 2619, or email us at podcast@AustraliareMADE.org.