AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT SUBMISSIONS
Background
Australian government departments and agencies help shape the nation’s progress in many ways. They formulate public policy, regulate many social and market interactions and run programs that provide essential services for the whole of Australia. In undertaking this work, these agencies develop insights into both the day-to-day needs and concerns of Australians and the visions of members of Parliament as elected representatives. This places them in a valuable position to discuss the aspirations important to Australians for national progress.
For these reasons, and to complement information collected about the work of state and territory governments, the ABS sought submissions from a range of Commonwealth Government agencies for the MAP consultation. Agencies were asked to articulate what they saw as important to national progress and to reflect on the concerns of the Australian community.
Consultation workshops were undertaken with a number of government agencies, and, where relevant, we considered information about their strategic directions or mission statements (see Appendix D).These statements were seen as relevant as they tend to reflect the kind of broad level aspirations the MAP consultation is focused on.
The ABS also took account of existing government work that articulates national aims, particularly work tracking progress towards national objectives. A selection of these initiatives is presented here along with a selection of aspirational quotes from them. The aspirations are examples only and do not reflect the breadth of each project.
Many of the departments and organisations spoken to throughout the consultation supported MAP as a valuable national measurement tool, complementing headline economic measures. They viewed MAP as potentially providing an overarching framework for national progress measurement.
‘MAP could potentially provide the underpinning framework and core indicators for a range of Commonwealth Government indicator projects, so as to increase the coherence and integration of these projects, and minimise duplication.’ – Department of Infrastructure and Transport
This chapter outlines the submissions and contributions the ABS received from federal government agencies. Each submission is presented and a summary of its emerging themes and aspirations provided. The chapter then examines a selection of other relevant federal government initiatives.
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