Report Card - The Wellbeing of Young Australians

The report card presents a framework for understanding the health and wellbeing of young Australians. The health and wellbeing of all children and youth in Australia requires continued efforts across the community. Many organisations and individuals hold significant influence over how our young people fare as they head into what, for many, is an uncertain future. A number of policies and programs, strategies and actions exist, and significant investment continues to be made in the future of our children and youth. Yet, despite many positive steps being taken, there is evidence to suggest Australian children and youth are not faring as well as they could. In an international context, Australia can best be described as ‘middle of the road’. Comparative indicators across OECD countries show that while we are doing well in some areas, others, such as child poverty, infant mortality, and youth participation in education or employment, are of concern. This report card provides a set of baseline indicators for each KRA - indicators that are strongly guided by the realities of ‘what wellbeing looks like’ for children and youth. The indicators provide a point-in-time snapshot of child and youth wellbeing in Australia, including how Aboriginal (Indigenous or Torres Strait Islander) young people are faring.