The Committee for Sydney welcomes the opportunity to provide input into the first NSW Draft Performance and Wellbeing Framework.

One of our key advocacy positions is that by 2027, NSW has a wellbeing budget framework. We commend the government for taking this step even sooner.

We are committed to working with the Public Accounts Committee and the Government to refine the framework so that it performs the best it can for Sydneysiders and NSW more widely.

An opportunity to measure what matters, for today and future generations

The Committee for Sydney are big advocates for a wellbeing budget framework because traditional budgeting measures don’t really tell us if we’re progressing the wellbeing of everyone in NSW. While they provide insights into revenue and expense estimates, or whether we’re ‘back in the black’, they don’t provide insights into whether we’ll be happier, healthier or more equal as a result of government decisions.

For example, if the success of state budgets is measured by minimising expenses and increasing revenue, a simple thing to do would be to cut all spending on the environment and increase revenue from fossil fuels. This doesn’t achieve the net-zero goals we want, and harms our community, as well as our planet. Without a framework that anchors budgeting and decision-making to the community’s wellbeing over time, we are at risk of trading the wellbeing of future generations, to satisfy our own short-term wants.

However, if the performance and wellbeing framework is going to have teeth and make a real difference over time, there are three main areas for improvement.

Read more in the full submission.