MORE than 20 leaders driving change in communities, the economy, and government across Australia have come together to discuss ways to put people and the planet front and centre when it comes to the Australian economy.
The two-day retreat in Melbourne in August, part of The Next Economy’s new Heading Upstream Lab and supported by Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation, explored how change happens in Australia and the barriers and opportunities for addressing the economic roots of our challenges.
Dr Katherine Trebeck, Economic Change Lead at The Next Economy, said:
“Heading Upstream saw some of the best thought leaders in Australia thinking about the economy differently and how it can be shaped to be socially just and sustainable. This paradigm shift involves redefining what we expect the economy to deliver, focusing on what societies need more of, where, and how.
“The retreat revealed a shared commitment to tackling the systemic roots of Australia’s challenges, shifting the focus from reactive responses to proactive, upstream change. It stressed a need to change how we talk about the economy, and recognised the importance of fostering broad, engaged conversation, to ultimately change mindsets.
“Economic decisions often fail to address the root causes or consider the connection between issues, which leads to ineffective solutions or policies that merely patch-up damage once it has been done. This is despite the evidence linking our economic structure to impacts on our health, poverty and inequality as well as environmental damage.
“Action on the economic roots of issues, and considering the interconnections between them, can lead to effective solutions in the short and long-term. This is nothing new, with various schools of thought having highlighted the flaws in treating the economy as an isolated goal for decades. And First Nations communities long demonstrating an approach that acknowledges the interdependence of people, planet and the economy.”
Insights and recommendations from the retreat will be published later this year. To stay up to date, subscribe to The Next Economy’s newsletter.
Read more:
What’s a wellbeing economy? Q+A with our Economic Change Lead Dr Katherine Trebeck, May 2024
On the wellbeing economy, is Australia at risk of dropping the ball?Opinion piece by Dr Katherine Trebeck in Croakey Health Media, 14 May 2024
The Wellbeing Economy in Brief, Dr Katherine Trebeck and Warwick Smith, Centre for Policy Development, February 2024