Despite widespread complaints about the cost of living and population growth, the Australian quality of life remains strong and any crisis is purely imagined. That is the conclusion of More than just lifestyle: quality of life anxiety and wellbeing, a report published by the think tank Per Capita.
According to Dr Tim Soutphommasane, a senior project leader at Per Capita and author of the report, public concern about quality of life does not accord with official pictures of Australian liveability. Studies such as the United Nations Development Programme’s Human Development Index 2010 ranked Australia the second most developed country in the world.
“By every measurable standard, Australians enjoy one of the world’s highest quality of life. That many Australians imagine otherwise reflects misplaced middle-class angst and insecurity about a sunkissed, suburban Australian lifestyle,” Dr Soutphommasane said.
More than just lifestyle, the first publication in Per Capita’s Quality of Life research program, offers a confronting critique of Australians’ understanding of quality of life. It contends that quality of life must be more than just a lifestyle concern.
The report argues that a cultural understanding of quality of life leads Australians to miss the connections between quality of life, wellbeing and freedom. Living well and the good life cannot be reduced to enjoying the material comforts of suburban lifestyle.
“It is important to understand quality of life in terms of an ethical conception of wellbeing. Politicians today still haven’t found the right register in which to speak to Australians about their desire not only for prosperity but sustainability, community and fulfilment,” Dr Soutphommasane said.
The full paper can be found at http://bit.ly/eqE4Ad . Video: http://bit.ly/hRT04x
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