The latest SGS Cities and Regions Wellbeing Index highlights a stark reality: where you live profoundly impacts your access to opportunities and overall quality of life.

The SGS Cities and Regions Wellbeing Index (CRWI) is a ground-breaking tool that captures the socio-economic wellbeing of communities across Australia. It demonstrates how people's quality of life is influenced by their location.

The Index moves away from GDP-centric narratives to create a clearer picture of community wellbeing. The CRWI tracks seven economic, social, environmental, and health dimensions for 518 local government areas (LGA). This data captures an invaluable wellbeing snapshot unique to each LGA. The Index's holistic framework makes it a powerful tool for decision-makers wanting to impact communities where it matters most. As lead author of the report and SGS Principal and Partner, Julian Szafraniec, suggests:

This year’s CRWI shows clear spatial divides in socio-economic outcomes for Australian communities. This is especially the case when comparing communities living in capital cities and regional areas. Greater Sydney has eight of the 10 areas with the highest levels of wellbeing. Remote Northern Territory and Queensland are the areas recording the lowest levels of wellbeing, highlighting where governments need to move the needle on equity in Australia.

The greatest wellbeing gap between regional and urban communities is in health outcomes. Many regional communities have shorter life expectancies, and a larger percentage live with multiple chronic health conditions than their capital city counterparts. In New South Wales, a resident of Greater Sydney is expected to live an average of 2.6 years longer than someone living in a regional area.

The Index highlights the extent of the Australian housing crisis. In most states, rental housing in metro areas is less affordable than in regional counterparts—except for Queensland, Tasmania, and Victoria, where rental affordability was comparable across the state.

This year, we have included an additional indicator on gender equality in the Index, specifically on the gender pay and domestic work gaps. The Index shows that a gender pay gap persists at all income levels and in communities that vary considerably in socio-demographic profile. On average, the largest gender pay gaps are in regional Western Australia, followed by Greater Perth and regional Queensland.

On top of this pay gap, the Index shows that women still bear the brunt of unpaid domestic work across all LGAs. This gap has important implications, as a lead author of the report and Senior Associate at SGS, Michelle Tjondro, comments:

This is the first year the CRWI presents the data at the LGA level. This adjustment in focus supports local governments in understanding the needs of their local communities and empowers them to address the pressing issues in their area.

The value of the CRWI lies in its nuance. The Index goes beyond economic measures of state GDP, so that each region of Australia can be appreciated for the diversity of its strengths, and the areas a region needs to address can be identified. It is important to note that the CRWI is not a scorecard for a local area. It is a tool to inform conversation and decision-making about where investment should be directed.

Rewriting Australia’s wellbeing narrative will undoubtedly take time. Our aim is to deliver robust evidence and analysis that inform conversations and create a brighter future for all Australians. It is not enough to measure and monitor; key data points must be acted on. The CRWI provides a wealth of data for discussion and action.