Today is International Happiness Day. The World Happiness Report 2024 found that the happiness index for Australia has declined sharply and significantly. Right now, people across NSW are struggling with soaring cost-of-living pressures, rising energy bills and increasingly more devastating climate induced disasters. The wellbeing of people in our community is inexplicably linked to the choices and priorities of the government of the day, and for too long successive governments have prioritised profit and big business over people and planet.
This week, after years of the Greens pushing for the implementation of a wellbeing budget, the NSW Labor Government announced it will soon begin to report on the wellbeing of the people in our state. This is a significant step forward that will see non-economic outcomes like health, longevity and educational attainment measured in state budget papers. Now to ensure that this is followed by robust investment in our community and environment.
Abigail Boyd