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It's the quintessential Aussie greeting, but it's usually met with an answer of little or no substance. "Good thanks" is an old favourite. "Not too bad" is another.
But if the average Canberran had to really think about it and rate their wellbeing on a scale of 1 to 10, the answer would be 7.18, according to a recent ACT government survey.
This is just one of the insights the government has gleaned so far in its work on creating the first wellbeing index of its kind in Australia.
Wellbeing is a difficult thing to measure. After all, it's a subjective concept that means something different to everyone.
For Morgan Greig and Danniel Pace, the key is being outside and feeling free. They would like to see more outdoor events in the capital.
"Just moving and spending time outdoors in the sun is the most important thing for me," Ms Greig, director of Tribe 11 gym, said.
Three factors stand above the rest in determining wellbeing in Canberra, according to more than 1200 respondents who completed a recent government survey. They are health, a good work-life balance, and good relationships with family, friends and others.
Chief Minister Andrew Barr will launch the ACT's wellbeing index on Canberra Day next year, a few months ahead of the 2020 budget in which the government will rely heavily on the index to identify priorities for funding.
"From next year's budget we will report against both economic metrics and a set of broader wellbeing indicators that will be developed with the Canberra community to track how we're doing in other important areas," a spokeswoman for Mr Barr said.
The spokeswoman said the ACT's wellbeing index would have a similar structure to New Zealand's living standards framework, which has 12 overarching "domains" of wellbeing. New Zealand's domains include health, environment, cultural identity and housing, and under each sits a number of wellbeing indicators.
"However, we are keen that this be a framework with a real Canberra feel: one developed for us," she said.
The spokeswoman said the government had already consulted with about 100 Canberra community organisations and received more than 1200 responses to a community survey in just three weeks. The government is also working with New Zealand officials, advisory groups and local university academics.
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ACT Council of Social Service director Susan Helyar said the use of wellbeing indicators should help make it easier to prevent Canberrans slipping into times of crisis.
"One of the major benefits of having a wellbeing framework and a set of indicators is it would stimulate investment and early intervention, and support people to recover from difficult circumstances rather than just responding to a crisis when it occurs, she said.
"We know that responding to crisis is important, but it's not enough to create a good life.
"People need difficult circumstances to be prevented, and the chance to recover from them when they do happen and to get access to services and support when they need them most. It shouldn't be an either/or. There's a need for both."
With an average wellbeing rating of 7.18, life seems pretty good for most Canberrans. For some like Ms Greig, it's a 10 out of 10.
But Ms Helyar said the ACT faced a particular challenge in effectively measuring wellbeing because it had high averages in most social and economic indicators, meaning those at the lower end of the scale were sometimes harder to identify and help.
"We need to understand who the people are that don't experience those high averages that other people in Canberra experience, and how we can close the gap between those groups," Ms Helyar said.
Around the world, governments are increasingly concerned with measuring and improving wellbeing. Among the most innovative policy measures are New Zealand's living standards framework, and the UK's appointment of a minister for loneliness.
While the ACT government is using New Zealand's framework to guide the development of its own wellbeing index, it appears unlikely to create a ministerial portfolio focused on loneliness, or the factors that contribute to it, like happiness or wellbeing.
"The Chief Minister, as the Minister for Social Inclusion and Equality, is primarily responsible for the development of these indicators as part of his ministerial responsibilities," a spokeswoman for Mr Barr said.
"It is the government's aim that this set of wellbeing indicators will provide a better understanding of what contributes to the wellbeing of Canberrans and how we can work with the community to improve wellbeing over time. This will be the responsibility of all ministers."
The Prime Minister's office did not respond to a request for comment about whether a wellbeing, happiness or loneliness minister might be appointed federally.
Author Antony Loewenstein, who has investigated the "complete failure" of the global war on drugs, said a minister for happiness could address many things, including the role drugs played in determining the wellbeing of a population.
Earlier this year it was revealed about one in eight Australians are now on antidepressants. The number of children and young people among that group doubled to more than 100,000 in the space of six years. Separate research found 51 per cent of Australians feel lonely for at least one day each week.
"Australia is a country that uses and abuses antidepressants on an industrial scale," Mr Loewenstein said.
"To me, it makes a lot of sense for brave politicians to come out and say, 'Is there another approach?'
"Why is there such a massive amount of depression. and how could we deal with this apart from simply over-prescribing antidepressants?
"People might giggle at the idea of a minister for happiness, but Australia has a massive deficit in happiness, and the [number of people on antidepressants] speaks volumes about that."