To What Extent Do Australian Government Metrics Align With Indigenous and Non‐Indigenous Conceptualisations of Wellbeing? A Scoping Review of Wellbeing Frameworks

Indigenous wellbeing theories offer potential to better measure social and cultural determinants. This scoping review aimed to identify the types of metrics used by the Australian government to assess wellbeing and evaluate the alignment of current frameworks against Indigenous and non‐Indigenous conceptualisations of wellbeing. This review was conducted according to the JBI methodology for scoping reviews. Searches were conducted in targeted government department websites, grey literature databases, and Advanced Google. Content analysis was used to categorise framework metrics according to Measuring What Matters and What Matters 2 Adults as respective Australian non‐Indigenous and Indigenous conceptualisations of wellbeing. Fifteen frameworks met the eligibility criteria. Numerous wellbeing measures currently being operationalised by Australian governments to assess population‐level wellbeing were extracted. A need to measure cultural determinants of wellbeing to a greater extent was identified. Agency and empowerment, central to Indigenous wellbeing concepts, are not currently incorporated into the Measuring What Matters national wellbeing framework. Findings also identified a need to develop definitions of wellbeing that extend beyond the concept of individual health or socioeconomic status. The outcomes of this review may inform and strengthen current and future Australian frameworks that aim to measure population‐wide wellbeing at the federal, state and territory levels.