My Wellbeing of Future Generations Bill 2025 seeks to establish a framework for collaborative, long term policymaking in Australia. The bill is based on the experience of Wales where a Wellbeing of Future Generations Act was introduced in 2015.
If passed it will ensure public bodies work together based on the principle that the needs of the present be met without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
4 objectives the bill calls for:
- Creates a legislative framework to ensure that intergenerational equity and wellbeing are considered and promoted in government and other public decision-making.
- Imposes a positive duty on government and public bodies to take into account the long-term impacts of their decisions.
- Establishes an independent, statutory Commissioner for Future Generations to make sure everything the Act promises, is achieved.
- Starts a National Conversation on the Wellbeing of Future Generations. The Commissioner will lead a public consultation process – including a wide diversity of voices – to make Australians active co-creators of this new vision for Australia’s future.
Why?
Young people today are the first generation in modern history to be worse off than their parents. Due to repeated policy failures over decades our young people now face converging crises. We are leaving our kids a far harder world to flourish in than the one we inherited.
A survey conducted by EveryGen found that 97% of Australians believe that current policies must consider the interests of future generations and 81% feel that Australian politicians focus too much on short-term decisions.
Foundations for Tomorrow has also found that 71% of young Australians do not feel secure about their future.
Want more information?
- Read the media release here
- Read the full Bill here
- Read the Explanatory Memorandum here
- Read my speech here
- Listen to my Question to the Prime Minister here
This Bill is seconded in Parliament by the Liberal Member for Bass, Bridget Archer, and was guided by close consultation with the Foundations for Tomorrow organisation.