By Kristi Mansfield, CEO, Seer Data & Analytics
Last week I had the privilege of joining leaders from across government, research, philanthropy, and community at the National Forum on Australia’s Wellbeing, on a panel exploring The Role of Data: How we Drive the Measurement of Wellbeing for People and Planet.
Our conversation centred on a powerful question: how can data drive a more equitable, evidence-based wellbeing economy? One that truly reflects the lived experiences of people and communities?
At Seer Data, we believe data and AI can be a powerful force for good when trusted and accessible, helping people build confidence with data and make better decisions. When communities can use data safely and meaningfully, they can influence the systems that shape their lives, measure what matters most to them, and build trust with decision-makers.
From left to right: Kinga Tshering (Institute of Happiness, Bhutan), Katherine Trebeck (The Next Economy), Jacki Schirmer (University of Canberra), Andrew McDonald (Productivity Commission) and Kristi Mansfield (Seer Data & Analytics)
Across Australia, our partners are using Seer Data’s technology to turn data into action to strengthen their communities demonstrating the impact of community-led measurement on wellbeing outcomes for people and planet. I was so pleased to share stories of some of these remarkable communities leading the way.
In Gladstone, Gladstone Region engaging in action Together (GRT) is using community data for shared decision making to improve access to housing. Through the Seer Communities platform, they’re bringing together local organisations, industry, and all levels of government to co-design solutions based on a shared evidence base. The result is better alignment, targeted investment, and community voices at the centre of housing reform.
In the Bega Valley, the Bega Valley Data Collective is shaping what “living well” means for its people. By combining community insights with wellbeing indicators, they’re demonstrating how local data can influence decisions on health, connection, and resilience – proving that wellbeing measurement must be both place-based and people-led.
In Bourke, Maranguka’s Palimaa data platform, powered by Seer Communities, operationalises First Nations Data Sovereignty and Governance to align to its wellbeing framework of Safe, Smart, Strong, supporting young people to thrive and divert them from the justice system. Through the Palimaa data platform, community, government, and service providers collaborate on evidence-based solutions grounded in culture, self-determination, and trust.
In Shepparton, Greater Shepparton Lighthouse Project, CatholicCare, and Greater Shepparton City Council are improving outcomes for children and young people by aligning their efforts through shared data and storytelling. Using the ARACY Nest as a their framework to guide change, their local data ecosystem helps partners see what’s working, identify gaps, and celebrate the collective impact of their collaboration.
And in Tasmania, the Healthy Tasmania initiative – with the Department of Health and five communities across the state – is pioneering community-led health prevention. Together, they are using data to identify local needs to invest in local, community-led health prevention initiatives that are locally meaningful and systemically connected.
These communities show what’s possible when data is not just collected but shared, trusted, and used collaboratively. They remind us that wellbeing measurement is not about statistics alone – it’s about confidence to take action on data and evidence to improve outcomes. It’s about empowerment, partnership, and collective accountability.
At Seer Data, we’re proud to support these partnerships through our technology and the Seer Data Method that enables transparent, secure data sharing and storytelling from the grassroots to enable the wellbeing economy at a local level.
As Australia advances its national wellbeing framework and agenda, these local examples show that power asymmetries can be addressed and progress can happen when data and decisions come together at the community level. We need to give people confidence to take actions on data and value the data as an asset that can drive community change.
Because when people can see their own story in the data, they can drive the change that matters most – for themselves, their community, and the planet we share.
