The ABS has just released its Measures of Australia's Progress summary report for 2011.

http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/by%20Subject/1370.0.55.001~2011~Main%20Features~Home%20page~1

It has measures of social, economic and environmental well-being and while there is much to be optimistic about, there are some worrying signs too, it seems to me.

On health, it is pleasing to see that boy's life expectancy at birth is edging closer to girls, with the average gap down to 4.6 years.

Higher education, which is dominated by women at the rate of 2:1, has increased its reach by 50% over the past decade. Much of that increase will have come from educational opportunities offered to single mothers. At the same time, vocational training is at best static, suggesting that the drive to get boys to do trades is not being successful, which demands we ask why. My feeling is that vocational training is nearly always linked to having a job, so the static outcome is demand driven.

Unemployment has been steadily falling for the past decade, driven to a large extent by the massive increase in bureaucracy and in government funded non-profit health and social services sectors. At present 35% of all our tax goes to paying for this and other more obvious welfare and redistributive measures and that's going up. How long can we keep paying people to do stuff that isn't necessary simply so we can say they've got a job?

Crime is falling, despite the alarming headlines.

National income per capita peaked in 2008 and has been steadily falling ever since.

At the same time, net national wealth per capita increased, based on the bubble in house prices and significant investment in mining.

Real household income has gone up for low and middle-income households, largely due to the redistribution mentioned earlier.

Rental affordability has been largely unchanged across the decade.

And the big one - productivity. After rising steadily for the first part of the decade, it has plummetted since 2003-4. Goldman Sachs noted this as well, in a report in 2009, saying that female productivity is the big concern, running at roughly 50% that of men.

Any comments?

Unemployment has been steadily falling.
Antiseptic,
Anything on the rise of unemployability ?

Individual, I think that's captured in the productivity and higher education figures...

Antiseptic:

...Good morning! The answer to the productivity question is subject to a highly manipulative mix of statistical outcomes, disallowing any one conclusion to any part of the question. Just to take a small section of the equation, take a look at figures relating to housing rentals and the commonwealth and state assistance to recipients.
On the surface it appears the most assistance to renters is to the most “unproductive” element of our society; raising further questions as to why this is, and why should society generally support the most unproductive elements in society?

...On the subject of crime: If crime is diminishing in our communities, why are prison populations increasing? All is not so simple! What type of crime is diminishing in society and what type of crime is increasing, is the question raised. So the statistic on crime highlights the danger of relying on statistical information alone. An addition to statistics ask those in the world mixing in the public arena such as on trains and public places, and suggest to them their reason for anxiety towards their personal safety is out of step with statistics.

...Interesting thread, let’s see how confined it gets!

that's captured
Antiseptic,
you mean they're suddenly of benefit to society ?

Any one who wants a job is entitled to have one. Your comments have a [is this necessary ] attitude. Because someone picks up rubbish off the floor, doesn't mean it is not a necessary job. When you are employed, don't you get a job description, or is that a state thing. Public servants are good insurance, when there is a downturn you sack half of them, and make the other half work. Australia's unemployment figures are in good shape, why disrupt that. There will always be a host of non productive jobs to be had, even sweeping the floor, for a livable wage.