According to a new national report by the Centre for Social Impact, one Australian state or territory has far outperformed the others in terms of liveability.
After maintaining the highest standard of community well-being for seven consecutive years, it comes as no surprise that the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) cemented itself as the best place to live in Australia.
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To calculate which state or territory was the best place to live, numerous factors such as health, housing, education, and wellbeing were ranked in a Social Progress Index.
The accompanying report by the Centre for Social Impact then used these rankings to determine a state or territory’s ability to meet the basic needs of its residents and create strong foundations for welfare.
Speaking on the findings, the Director of the Centre for Social Impact, Danielle Logue said the findings were a tool to holistically demonstrate “how our society is faring and importantly, where we are letting people down.”
“We hope that by looking at what’s happening in different states and territories as well as the country overall, we can provide insights into what policy interventions are working in what communities and where.”
The ACT scored especially high in water and sanitation, personal safety and access to both basic and advanced knowledge.
Its neighbouring state to the south, Victoria, came in second place and was commended for its strong results in health and wellbeing, access to advanced knowledge and personal safety.
Rounding out the top three was NSW, which ranked highly for water and sanitation and nutrition, and basic medical care.
So what of the bottom states and territories?
South Australia ranked fourth, Queensland took out fifth place, Tasmania came in at sixth just ahead of Western Australia in seventh place and The Northern Territory came last.
It comes as no huge surprise that Western Australia and The Northern Territory ranked poorly given they have historically struggled to achieve higher scores, mainly due to smaller populations, isolation, and the ratio of First Nations People.
“They [WA and NT] paint a worrying picture of a fragmented country where your health, welfare, and happiness can be heavily influenced by your location,” Logue said.
In terms of the Global Social Progress Index, Australia is currently ranked 12th out of 168 countries, with an especially high score in advanced education.
