Report releases top 10 areas for wellbeing—is yours on the list?
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When it comes to the hustle and bustle of city life, it's easy to get caught up in the daily grind and forget to stop and smell the eucalyptus. But, as it turns out, where you live can have a profound impact on your overall well-being.
A recent survey has highlighted the cities and regions across Australia that are setting the standard for quality of life, and the results might just have you considering a sea change—or at least a trip to the Northern Beaches!
Sydney has emerged as the nation's leader in wellbeing, with a staggering eight out of the top ten areas for quality of life in its greater metropolitan area.
The SGS Cities & Regions Wellbeing Index, which released its findings on 7 May, has placed Sydney's Northern Beaches at the pinnacle of the list, crowning it the number one spot in the country for wellbeing.
The comprehensive report didn't just pull these rankings out of a hat.
It meticulously analysed 518 local government areas (LGAs) across Australia, considering seven critical factors: the economy, housing, health, environment, income and wealth, employment, knowledge and skills, and equality, community, and work-life balance.
It's a holistic approach that goes beyond the traditional economic indicators to paint a more accurate picture of what it means to live well in today's society.
Julian Szafraniec, a principal at SGS, explained that the Northern Beaches and surrounding communities scored highly across multiple factors.
‘They have high levels of income and wealth and have higher levels of education and health outcomes within those communities,’ he said.
‘What tipped the Northern Beaches and some of those areas over the edge was they had more equitable communities. They had higher rates of volunteerism within the community, fewer people with extreme work hours and smaller gender pay gaps than other parts of the nation.’
The top ten LGAs for wellbeing are the following:
Brisbane stands out as the only Queensland city in the top ten, while Melbourne sits at 15th place.
‘Any of the places that scored highly in the wellbeing index really had to score high across multiple metrics, and Brisbane was one of those. It has a large and diverse economy and it has also scored highly around health outcomes with good access to health care and a healthy community,’ Szafraniec said.
The ACT, meanwhile, has maintained its position as the top-performing region in Australia for the second year running, excelling in the economy, environment, and work-life balance.
The report also examined gender pay gaps for the first time, revealing that the largest disparities—reaching up to $400 to $500 per week—were found in regional Western Australia, Greater Perth, and regional Queensland.
‘The largest gender pay gaps were in rural and regional areas right across Australia. When we delved into the data a little deeper, we found that these are often communities where the economy was really based around male-dominated industries, such as mining,’ Szafraniec said.
In contrast, capital cities and middle-ring suburbs experienced lower gender pay gaps and a more balanced division of domestic work duties.
‘In places like Yarra in Melbourne, which includes suburbs such as Richmond and Collingwood, you have a lot of young professional families where both male and female partners have similar types of jobs and split duties within those households more evenly.’
Health-wise, capital cities generally recorded the highest life expectancy rates and the lowest rates of chronic health issues.
However, as one moves away from these urban centres, life expectancy decreases, and chronic health issues become more prevalent.
A person living in Greater Sydney has a life expectancy of 84.3 years, compared to 81.7 years for someone living in regional NSW.
Housing was another critical area of the study, with LGAs like Lockhart and Bogan in NSW and Esperance in WA performing well on the Rental Affordability Index.
On the flip side, Perth and certain remote Queensland communities struggled in this category, grappling with issues like homelessness, affordability, and overcrowding.
‘The areas with the highest levels of (unaffordable houses) typically had higher scores around the economy, skills and workforce engagement, and health outcomes. This really shows the trade-offs that people are making to get into some of these communities,’ Szafraneic explained.
‘In the Northern Beaches in Sydney, they’re really trying their hardest to gain access to those good jobs and to those services that they really want, which are not evenly distributed across the nation.’
The findings of the SGS Cities & Regions Wellbeing Index are more than just a pat on the back for the top performers; they're a call to action.
‘We really hope shining a light on these different dimensions of wellbeing can hopefully help target policy and investment decisions to where it really needs to go,’ Szafraneic said.
‘Rather than just focusing on good growth, we want to be part of a broader wellbeing economics movement, where we shift the focus to growth and investment that’s good for people and good for the planet, and also creates more equitable and resilient communities.’
What do you think of this story, members? Let us know in the comments below!
A recent survey has highlighted the cities and regions across Australia that are setting the standard for quality of life, and the results might just have you considering a sea change—or at least a trip to the Northern Beaches!
Sydney has emerged as the nation's leader in wellbeing, with a staggering eight out of the top ten areas for quality of life in its greater metropolitan area.
The SGS Cities & Regions Wellbeing Index, which released its findings on 7 May, has placed Sydney's Northern Beaches at the pinnacle of the list, crowning it the number one spot in the country for wellbeing.
SGS Cities & Regions Wellbeing Index released its report on the top 10 areas for wellbeing. Credit: Shutterstock
The comprehensive report didn't just pull these rankings out of a hat.
It meticulously analysed 518 local government areas (LGAs) across Australia, considering seven critical factors: the economy, housing, health, environment, income and wealth, employment, knowledge and skills, and equality, community, and work-life balance.
It's a holistic approach that goes beyond the traditional economic indicators to paint a more accurate picture of what it means to live well in today's society.
Julian Szafraniec, a principal at SGS, explained that the Northern Beaches and surrounding communities scored highly across multiple factors.
‘They have high levels of income and wealth and have higher levels of education and health outcomes within those communities,’ he said.
‘What tipped the Northern Beaches and some of those areas over the edge was they had more equitable communities. They had higher rates of volunteerism within the community, fewer people with extreme work hours and smaller gender pay gaps than other parts of the nation.’
The top ten LGAs for wellbeing are the following:
Brisbane stands out as the only Queensland city in the top ten, while Melbourne sits at 15th place.
‘Any of the places that scored highly in the wellbeing index really had to score high across multiple metrics, and Brisbane was one of those. It has a large and diverse economy and it has also scored highly around health outcomes with good access to health care and a healthy community,’ Szafraniec said.
The ACT, meanwhile, has maintained its position as the top-performing region in Australia for the second year running, excelling in the economy, environment, and work-life balance.
The report also examined gender pay gaps for the first time, revealing that the largest disparities—reaching up to $400 to $500 per week—were found in regional Western Australia, Greater Perth, and regional Queensland.
‘The largest gender pay gaps were in rural and regional areas right across Australia. When we delved into the data a little deeper, we found that these are often communities where the economy was really based around male-dominated industries, such as mining,’ Szafraniec said.
In contrast, capital cities and middle-ring suburbs experienced lower gender pay gaps and a more balanced division of domestic work duties.
‘In places like Yarra in Melbourne, which includes suburbs such as Richmond and Collingwood, you have a lot of young professional families where both male and female partners have similar types of jobs and split duties within those households more evenly.’
Health-wise, capital cities generally recorded the highest life expectancy rates and the lowest rates of chronic health issues.
However, as one moves away from these urban centres, life expectancy decreases, and chronic health issues become more prevalent.
A person living in Greater Sydney has a life expectancy of 84.3 years, compared to 81.7 years for someone living in regional NSW.
Housing was another critical area of the study, with LGAs like Lockhart and Bogan in NSW and Esperance in WA performing well on the Rental Affordability Index.
On the flip side, Perth and certain remote Queensland communities struggled in this category, grappling with issues like homelessness, affordability, and overcrowding.
‘The areas with the highest levels of (unaffordable houses) typically had higher scores around the economy, skills and workforce engagement, and health outcomes. This really shows the trade-offs that people are making to get into some of these communities,’ Szafraneic explained.
‘In the Northern Beaches in Sydney, they’re really trying their hardest to gain access to those good jobs and to those services that they really want, which are not evenly distributed across the nation.’
The findings of the SGS Cities & Regions Wellbeing Index are more than just a pat on the back for the top performers; they're a call to action.
‘We really hope shining a light on these different dimensions of wellbeing can hopefully help target policy and investment decisions to where it really needs to go,’ Szafraneic said.
‘Rather than just focusing on good growth, we want to be part of a broader wellbeing economics movement, where we shift the focus to growth and investment that’s good for people and good for the planet, and also creates more equitable and resilient communities.’
