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Towards an Australian or Queensland Future Generations Act?

Explore the possibility of implementing an Australian or Queensland version of the Welsh Well-being of Future Generations Act, which promotes sustainable decision-making and considers the well-being of future generations.

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Towards an Australian or Queensland Future Generations Act?

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  1. Towards an Australian or Queensland version of the Welsh Well-being of Future Generations Act? The Act provides for better decision-making by ensuring that public bodies take account of the long-term, help to prevent problems occurring or getting worse, take an integrated and collaborative approach, and consider and involve people of all ages. Public bodies listed in the Act must do what they do in a sustainable way. Written and Presented by: David Marlow RSQ AGM 27 November 2018

  2. What is the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015? It is an Act of the National Assembly for Wales • to make provision requiring public bodies to do things in pursuit of the economic, social, environmental and cultural well-being of Wales in a way that accords with the sustainable development principle; • to require public bodies to report on such action; • to establish a Commissioner for Future Generations to advise and assist public bodies in doing things in accordance with this Act; • to establish public services boards in all local authority areas; • to make provision requiring those boards to plan and take action in pursuit of economic, social, environmental and cultural well-being in their area; and for connected purposes.

  3. The Seven Well-being Goals (Aims) The Well-being of Future Generations Act gives a legally-binding common purpose – the seven well-being goals – for national government, local government, local health boards and other specified public bodies. It details the ways in which specified public bodies must work, and work together to improve the well-being of Wales. The listed public bodies must work to achieve all of the goals, not just one or two. • 1. A Prosperous Wales (Queensland? Australia?) [“An innovative, productive and low carbon society which recognises the limits of the global environment and uses resources efficiently and proportionately, and which develops a skilled and well-educated population in an economy which generates wealth and provides employment opportunities.”)] • 2. A Resilient Wales (Queensland? Australia?) [“A nation (state?) which maintains and enhances a biodiverse natural environment with healthy functioning ecosystems that support social, economic and ecological resilience and the capacity to adapt to change.”)] • 3. A More Equal Wales (Queensland? Australia?) [“A society that enables people to fulfil their potential no matter what their background or circumstances“)]

  4. The Seven Well-being Goals (continued)

  5. The How: the sustainable development principle defined by the Act Public bodies and public services boards must seek to ensure that the needs of the present are met without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs, by taking account of the sustainable development principle. The principle is made up of five ways of working that public bodies are required to take into account when applying sustainable development: • Looking to the long term so that we do not compromise the ability of future generations to meet their own needs; • Taking an integrated approach so that public bodies look at all the well-being goals in deciding on their well-being objectives; • Involving a diversity of the population in the decisions that affect them; • Working with others in a collaborative way to find shared sustainable solutions; • Understanding the root causes of issues to prevent them from occurring.

  6. The scorecard: Wales 4, Queensland 0 • Taking the long-term view in decision-makingWALES: Public bodies are legally obliged to ensure that decision-making takes into account the impact they could have on future generations.QUEENSLAND: The Queensland Plan is “Queenslanders’ 30-year vision”, which doesn’t require anybody to do anything. • Defining and promoting the well-being of societyWALES: Public bodies set well-being objectives, publish a well-being statement, review well-being objectives and report on progress. QUEENSLAND: Nothing, nothing at all. • Making ‘sustainable development’ the keystone of planningWALES: Keystone Acts put sustainable development at the centre of decision making and “recognise the importance of the links and synergies between biodiversity, climate change and UN Sustainable Development Goals”. QUEENSLAND: The mega Department of State Development, Manufacturing, Infrastructure and Planning exists to “set and drive an economic agenda for Queensland”. • Taking an integrated approach: formally linking legislationWALES: Four Acts are inter-connected. Many additional links are planned.QUEENSLAND: - Nothing, nothing at all.

  7. Towards an Australian or Queensland Future Generations Act: A Way Forward • Find out from the Welsh how they managed the feat. • Gain acceptance for the concept in relevant professional organisations, institutes and academia. • Create a consultative process to describe goals, and to posit appropriate structures, systems and procedures. • Create for-discussion draft legislation. • Progressively gain public and political support.

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