Regional Wellbeing Index
Putting community wellbeing at the heart of regional decision-making.
Gardiner Foundation is proud to support the Regional Wellbeing Project, a groundbreaking initiative led by the University of Canberra, in partnership with the University of Southern Queensland, aimed at helping rural leaders integrate wellbeing into the way they plan, prioritise and lead.
In regional communities, quality of life is shaped by more than just economics. Access to housing, essential services, social connection, environmental resilience, and the ability to respond to challenges like drought, bushfire and flood all play a vital role in a community’s capacity to thrive. Yet these factors are often overlooked in traditional decision-making frameworks.
This project aims to change that, by developing practical, data-driven tools that place wellbeing at the centre of regional leadership.
What the Project Delivers
Working with pilot communities in Gannawarra, Greater Shepparton and Stratford (Wellington Shire), the project will co-design locally tailored wellbeing frameworks and create a suite of resources for use across regional Australia.
This includes a monitoring hub, tailored frameworks, a dashboard toolkit, leadership development, and a national network, to help regional communities measure, understand and act on wellbeing.
Our Commitment
Gardiner Foundation’s support for this project reflects our commitment to strengthening the social fabric of Victoria’s dairy communities. We recognise that resilient, connected and thriving communities are essential for the long-term success of the dairy industry, and that good leadership starts with a deep understanding of people’s wellbeing.
This project represents a shift in how regional prosperity is defined and measured, placing people, place and quality of life at the centre of regional progress.
To learn more about the project, visit: https://www.regionalwellbeing.org.au/building-wellbeing-into-regional-decision-making/