SGS Self-Funded Research Project
An annual deep dive into the wellbeing of Australia's cities and regions looking beyond GDP.
For over ten years, SGS has reported on the state of the economy and the economic performance of Australia's cities and regions. The SGS Cities and Regions Wellbeing Index (CRWI) is a continuation of this work and a first-of-its-kind report that considers the spatial impacts of public policy decisions and how they will improve people's lives. Set to be released annually, the Index analyses the disparity in socio-economic wellbeing between capital city residents and their regional peers.
The COVID-19 pandemic made it clear that communities' physical health, mental wellbeing, and the economy are fundamentally interlinked. Additionally, people's location strongly influences their level of wellbeing and how they experience society, the economy, and climate change. However, current data only tracks changes to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) at the national and state levels, and there is limited information on how specific regions and communities in Australia have been impacted.
This report addresses that gap by shedding light on the socio-economic wellbeing of different regions in Australia by taking the familiar Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and breaking it down to economic activity in the local region, Gross Regional Product (GRP). This economic story is then supplemented with six other wellbeing indicators (income & wealth, employment, knowledge & skills, housing, health, equality and environment) to create a more nuanced understanding of what people are experiencing.
This research project is self-funded by SGS and managed by Julian Szafraniec and Michelle Tjondro.
