In the 2024 to 2025 NSW Budget, the NSW Government has released its new Performance and Wellbeing Framework for public consultation.
In recent years, the people of NSW have been hit with bushfires, floods, a global pandemic and rising interest rates – exacerbating a cost-of-living crisis.
We know families are facing uncertainty. The NSW Government is committed to rebuilding the essential services that have been neglected. We know that with the right priorities, we can build a better NSW.
This will take time. As the NSW Government works hard to build better services for the people of NSW, having access to the right data is important. It will ensure the government is properly equipped to address the big challenges the state is facing.
With the Performance and Wellbeing Framework, that process begins. It provides a clear set of measures to track the government’s progress on much-needed reforms including in housing, energy, education and healthcare.
The proposed NSW Performance and Wellbeing Framework comprises eight Wellbeing Themes and 28 Outcomes.
The themes are Healthy, Skilled, Prosperous, Housed, Secure, Community, Connected and Sustainable. Each theme is matched by NSW Outcomes, which cover key government activities and services. Over time, progress towards these Outcomes will support overall wellbeing for families, households and businesses in New South Wales.
Once implemented the framework will:
- Articulate how government performance influences outcomes
- Strengthen performance reporting to improve accountability and transparency
- Improve the quality of data insights that inform government decision-making
- Encourage cross-agency collaboration and strategic planning to deliver improved outcomes for NSW.
The Framework is based on the principle that what gets measured, gets done.
Governments have always relied on indicators of economic activity, such as production, employment, and income, to measure performance. These are important, but ultimately not sufficient.
The Framework will show indicators which reflect the government’s values and priorities. Matching expenditure with those indicators ensures the people of New South Wales have clarity on the performance of the essential public services they rely on.
The Commonwealth Government and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) have created similar frameworks to measure wellbeing. The NSW Government will collaborate with the Commonwealth on this Framework to advance our shared goals.
The NSW Government will use public feedback and findings from a Public Accounts Committee inquiry to refine the Framework.
The final Performance and Wellbeing Framework will be introduced in the 2025 to 2026 Budget.
This is part of the Minns Labor Government’s plan to build stronger, better communities.
A plan to build a better NSW.
