This book surveys and synthesises recent developments in wellbeing science and policy to highlight key lessons learned and to offer actionable insights for policymaking. It examines the state of the art on wellbeing policy frameworks in diverse contexts, documenting interventions by governmental, private or non-governmental organisations. Case studies include Australia.

Australia faces increasing threats from natural disasters, pandemics and geopolitical tensions, necessitating robust preparedness mechanisms. This report recommends a road map of immediate, near-term and longer-term initiatives that the Australian Government should embrace. The report outlines building an effective national preparedness system, and the capabilities and capacities needed for it, using Finland as an exemplar.

Traffic fines in Australia hit low-income earners disproportionally hard. One potential solution to this problem is traffic fines that are proportional to the income of the offender. This discussion paper outlines one way of applying this model – drawn from Finland – to Australia, including a breakdown for states.

To understand what is driving momentum in arts and health and how organisations and practitioners are operating in creating and/or benefitting from that momentum, this report gathers insights from people working in some of the world’s best and most innovative arts and health organisations.

The authors of this article find that politicians whose theoretical outlook is that voters have a long-term orientation are significantly more willing to opt for long-term policy solutions that impose short-term costs. They also fail to find a meaningful effect of election proximity on the preferences of politicians for short-term versus long-term policies.