Third National Forum on Australia’s Wellbeing 2025
Wellbeing in Action
Community, Business, and Government
An economy that enables people, communities,
business, and nature to thrive
21st to 23rd October 2025, Canberra
Download the forum program here.
The summary of our reflections session is now available here.
In 2025, over 200 attendees participated in person and online over the three day event. In its third year, the Forum brought together diverse voices from government, business, community, and academia to share insights, explore innovations, and strengthen the growing movement for wellbeing-centered decision making. In 2025, the Forum shifted from setting the wellbeing agenda to putting it into action. It explored best practices Australia could adopt across the community, business, and government sectors to create thriving wellbeing for people and the planet.
Gavin Blake’s artwork capturing the main messages from the forum and speaker presentations can be accessed below. Recordings from the 2025 Forum will be published as they become available and where permission is given. You can access presentations from the 2022 and 2024 Forum here.
Visual Scribe, Gavin Blake
To see the still images, click on the links below from each session.
Speakers and presentations
Download the conference program and speaker bios here.
Speakers included decision makers and leaders from Australia and internationally, bringing together perspectives from government, academic, corporate and not-for-profit sectors.
Presentation slides and recordings from the event are available below (for those who have given permission to share). More recordings will be uploaded as they become available.
| Day 1 | ||
| Jacki Schirmer – University of Canberra | The current state of wellbeing in Australia | |
| Lorenzo Fioramonti – NATIVA | Keynote: Setting the scene: A vision for the role of community, business, and government in creating an economy that enables wellbeing for all | |
| Kinga Tshering – Institute of Happiness, Bhutan | Whole of government policy – lessons learned | |
| Matt Donohue – Department of Treasury and Finance (Vic.) | ||
| Angela Jackson – Australian Government Productivity Commission | ||
| Taylor Dee Hawkins – Foundations for Tomorrow |
Future Generations – How do we provide the foundations for future generations wellbeing? Workshop style discussion – Slides |
|
| Dr Sophie Scamps MP – Federal Member for Mackellar | ||
| Angelica Ojinnaka-Psillakis – Future Healthy Countdown 2030 | Recording | |
| Amie Furlong – Foundations for Tomorrow | Recording | |
| Carrie Exton – Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) | Keynote: OECD Presentation | |
| Katherine Trebeck – The Next Economy |
What is the role of growth in the economy? Do we need growth? If so what type of growth?
|
Session recording |
| Greg Jericho – The Australia Institute | ||
| Angela Jackson – Australian Government Productivity Commission | ||
| Day 2 | ||
| Kaj Lofgren – Regen Melbourne | Economic Models for a Sustainable Future |
Recording |
| Martin Geissdoerfer – Monash Sustainable Development Institute |
Recording |
|
| Lachlan Feggans – Brambles | ||
| Sharon Friel – Australian National University |
Commercial Determinants of Health and Wellbeing (good and bad) – Setting the priorities for a new translation centre Workshop (short presentations then interactive session) |
Recording |
| Gary Sacks – Deakin University | ||
| Bonnie Matheson – VicHealth | ||
| Sharon Goldfeld – Murdoch Children’s Research Institute | Improving child wellbeing and reinventing schools for wellbeing | |
| Lindsay Oades – University of Melbourne |
Slides Recording |
|
| Angelica Ojinnaka-Psillakis – Future Healthy Countdown 2030 | Recording | |
| Justin Vaughan – Indigenous Business Australia |
Business Incorporating Social Value Measures and Targets |
Slides |
| Justine Felton – Stockland | Slides | |
| Daniel Marlay – Ernst & Young and Regan Lu – DVA | ||
| Gweneth Leigh – University of Canberra | Wellbeing in schools and for youth |
Slides |
| Paul Campbell – Australian National University | ||
| Franka Vaughan – University of Melbourne |
Filling the gaps in wellbeing measurement |
Slides |
| Matthew Iasiello – Be Well Co/University of Adelaide | Slides | |
| Marketa Reeves – University of Western Australia | Slides | |
| Matt Donohue – Department of Treasury and Finance (Vic.) |
How wellbeing budgets or frameworks are transforming outcomes across each state. |
Slides |
| Xuan Deng – NSW Treasury | Slides | |
| Eleanor Williams – Australian Centre for Evaluation | Slides | |
| Lauren Clift – ACT Government | ||
| Kate Sollis – Bega Valley Data Collective |
Building wellbeing into local community initiatives |
|
| Shayne Hyman – Gardiner Foundation | Slides | |
| Lexi Randall-L’Estrange/Melina Chan – Castlemaine Institute | Slides | |
| Brydie Leigh-Bartleet – Creative Change Project | Slides | |
| Jodie Cooper – Positive Psychology |
Communities and grassroots action |
Slides |
| Michelle Macaskill (Hauraki Opportunity case study) – Huber Social | Slides | |
| Annie Smits – Neighbourhood Economics & Alison Holloway – SGS Economics and Planning | Slides | |
| Adelajda Soltysik – Centre for Policy Development |
Government and public policy |
Slides |
| Joanne Rathbone – Australian National University | Slides | |
| Chelsea Hunnisett – Australian National University | Slides | |
| Jane Body – Think Forward | Slides | |
| Vanessa Pilla – Pathmaker | Redefining business | |
| Natalie Paine – ANZ | ||
| Emilie Perrot – Weinclusive | ||
| Darren Coppin – Azurum | ||
| Melissa Coade – The Mandarin | Selling an economy that works for people and planet to Australians – Defining and Communicating Wellbeing |
Slides Recording |
| Lachlan Williams – The Shape Agency | ||
| Andrew Reeves – The Royals | ||
| Sharon Friel – Australian National University | Keynote: Preventing planetary health inequality: A key pathway to wellbeing | Recording |
| Day 3 | ||
| Sarah Hardy – Philanthropy Australia | Transformational funding models for community wellbeing | |
| Ian Bird – Community Foundations Australia | ||
| Natalie Egleton – Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal | ||
|
Jacki Schrimer – University of Canberra
|
Measurement session – The role of data – how we drive the measurement of wellbeing for people and planet
|
Slides Recording |
| Kinga Tshering – Institute of Happiness, Bhutan |
Slides Recording |
|
| Andrew McDonald – Productivity Commission |
Recording |
|
| Katherine Trebeck – The Next Economy | Recording only | |
| Kristi Mansfield – Seer Data | ||
| Pastor Ray Minniecon – Scarred Tree Ministries |
Living Well with Nature: Challenges and Opportunities in Law, Policy and Behavioural Change |
Slides |
| Liam Smith – Monash Sustainable Development Institute | Slides | |
| Erin O’Donnell – University of Melbourne | Slides | |
| Simon Faivel – Social Ventures Australia | Words to action: Shape the future of wellbeing in Australia | Summary document |
Contact us
For more information about the forum or registering for the forum, email wellbeingsummit@canberra.edu.au or call 1800 981 499.
2025 Sponsors
The forum is supported by a collaborative organising committee from University of Canberra, Australian Unity, Deakin University, Australian National Development Index,
Australian Social Values Bank, Centre for Policy Development, Monash Sustainable
Development Institute, and University of Tasmania.
