Community Indicators Seminar Shines Global Spotlight on NSS
The National Statistical Service (NSS) presented the Community Indicators Seminar to approximately 50 participants on 18 June 2010. The seminar was presented live across each state office of the Australian Bureau of Statistics and included a live link between community indicator practitioners from Newfoundland and Labrador in Canada. This encouraged a lively discussion between various international leaders and participants from across Australian government, academia, business and community organisations.
Presentations covered recent developments in measuring community wellbeing, issues for maintaining currency in international developments and linking community measures to broader measures. Participants were able to hear about the Newfoundland and Labrador experience while exploring local issues regarding the measurement of community indicators.
Speakers Alton Hollett, Department of Finance, Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, Doug May, Newfoundland Memorial University and Robert Reid, Newfoundland and Labrador Statistics Agency, provided an overview of the Newfoundland and Labrador System of Community Accounts.
The seminar also provided a sound opportunity for ABS representatives to share updates on the ABS work on, Measures of Australia's Progress (MAP). Tracey Chester from the Australian Bureau of Statistics delivered a presentation on some exciting new MAP developments. Participants also experienced new web-based products first hand, which will be available when MAP is released on 15 September 2010.
Mike Salvaris from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) and Sue West, Research Fellow from the McCaughey Centre, University of Melbourne, gave participants an overview of the progression of the Community Summit Declaration and the progress of the Australian National Development Index (ANDI).
Discussions around the ANDI being a major Australian societal initiative were of particular interest, especially with regards to planning and maintaining ANDI as a long term project. It was noted that the ANDI will also promote and support an extensive national community debate, an engagement process and a national research coalition on key issues, measures and goals for Australia’s progress.
The ANDI aspires to develop new measures of equitable and sustainable wellbeing based on environmental, social, economic, cultural and democratic dimensions of progress. The ANDI was presented as a network and resource base for the growing national movement to develop community wellbeing measures. Click here to read a short brief on the ANDI proposal and the full background paper.
Overall, the seminar provided participants with a valuable opportunity to hear about the latest developments in measuring wellbeing, locally and internationally, and provided a forum for them to voice their questions, ideas and thoughts.
The next Community Indicators Seminar will be held in Sydney on 15 September 2010 to coincide with the NatStats 2010 Conference. If you are interested in attending this seminar, please email inquiries@nss.gov.au.
If you would like more information on the ABS's MAP or other community indicator forums and networks, please email inquiries@nss.gov.au.
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