Globally, the measurement of social progress is emerging as a priority for governments and corporations. A focus on wellbeing provides a means for measuring the health, quality of life and vitality of a community, a city or a country. In 2008, The Hornery Institute was commissioned by Santos Ltd to undertake wellbeing studies for the Gladstone and Maranoa Regions. These studies were based on The Hornery Institute’s Wellbeing Model and it is intended that these studies inform the proposed development of the liquefied natural gas operation in these regions.
The Wellbeing Study of the Maranoa and Gladstone regions revealed what wellbeing means to the community as well as the community’s aspirations for wellbeing in their region. The approach taken by The Hornery Institute emphasises that wellbeing is a process – it requires responsive and place-based systems of monitoring and measuring that can be woven into community life.
The Maranoa Wellbeing Study and Gladstone Wellbeing Study resulted in a deep understanding of the local area and its communities. This knowledge then informed the development of a mechanism for measuring the community’s wellbeing – the Maranoa Wellbeing Framework and Gladstone Wellbeing Framework – so that the community could continue to allocate resources in areas of priority. The process was designed to ensure that the community drives a wellbeing approach over time and that the community is empowered to determine its own priorities in response to changing circumstances. This means that wellbeing is dynamic and that, in cultivating wellbeing, communities are stronger and better equipped to handle change.
Voices of the community are integral in developing a context and location specific wellbeing framework and the development of the Wellbeing Framework for Maranoa and Gladstone regions featured consultation with a large number of community members and relevant stakeholders. The community was introduced to the wellbeing approach and its potential benefits as well as to its application as a tool to measure and monitor their community’s wellbeing. This process of measuring wellbeing is guided by the priorities that the community itself has identified.
The Hornery Institute developed a ‘roadmap’ for distribution to the community so that community stakeholders can continue to consider the wellbeing approach. These roadmaps, which are downloadable from the link below, introduce the concept of community wellbeing and outline the significance and benefits of measuring community wellbeing. It is anticipated that this document can provide the basis on which to continue the journey in a way that is participatory and that captures aspirations for enhancing wellbeing for the Maranoa and Gladstone communities.
Download The Maranoa Wellbeing Study: A Roadmap (link to PDF)
Download The Gladstone Wellbeing Study: A Roadmap (link to PDF)
