ACT government COVID-19 responses perform high on social progress across the board - new research

The Australian Capital Territory fares best in the nation in terms of overall social progress according to the Centre for Social Impact’s (CSI) Australian Social Progress Index (ASPI), as discussed in a webinar today.

The webinars also discussed how the Australian Capital Territory is faring in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), using the ASPI tool as a proxy measure.

Key findings:

• Compared to its economic peers (based on GSP per Capita – WA, NT, NSW and QLD) ACT is performing better across all domains of social progress. It is performing better on gender parity in higher education, teen pregnancy, and voter registration rate, but not as high on community mental health treatment rates and the disparity rates between Indigenous and non-Indigenous children in out of home care and abuse substantiations
• When considering policy responses for COVID-19 recovery and longer-term plans for ACT’s social progress, the indicators included in the ASPI suggest ACT and its policies are in the position to continue maintaining positive levels of social progress

ASPI researchers and webinar presenters:

• Dr Megan Weier: Research Fellow & ASPI Lead Researcher, Centre for Social Impact UNSW
• Isabella Saunders: Research Assistant, Centre for Social Impact UNSW