The National Sustainable Development Council

The National Sustainable Development Council is a collaborative body that brings together experts across a breadth of domains relevant to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and draws on member experience across government, business, research and civil society.

The Council builds on the previous work of the National Sustainability Council, which was established in 2012 to report against sustainable well-being indicators, highlighting key trends and emerging issues for policy and decision makers and communities across Australia.

The SDGs are a set of goals and targets, agreed by all countries, to make the world a better place by 2030. The Council aims to provide an independent, authoritative and transparent assessment of Australia’s progress towards the SDGs.

The Council’s first output –Transforming Australia: SDG Progress Report – compiles data and evidence on Australia’s progress towards achieving the SDGs, with particular emphasis on those goals and issues most relevant to Australia. The project is supported by expert insight to assist in interpreting and explaining the data.

The Council invites and welcomes stakeholder input on its assessment of how we are going, and the larger question of how we might use data and evidence to inform debate on Australia’s persistent and emerging challenges.

The Council has a vision for a smarter, more inclusive and sustainable Australia. It believes that Australia’s culture of pragmatic problem-solving – particularly evident in our youth – has a great untapped potential to help tackle the big challenges our public institutions have struggled to resolve. In this, we also see scope to restore public trust and confidence.

National Sustainable Development Council Members

  • Professor John Thwaites (Chair)
  • Mr Mark Joiner
  • Professor Rod Glover
  • Ms Romilly Madew
  • Ms Sam Mostyn
  • Professor Sue Richardson AM
  • Professor Tony Capon
  • Mr Tony Nicholson

council members

Left to Right: Michael Reid, Rod Glover, Sam Mostyn, Cameron Allen, Damion Sullivan (BSL), Tahl Kestin, John Thwaites, Mark Joiner, Tony Nicholson, Romilly Madew, Tony Capon.
Not pictured: Sue Richardson

Sue Richardson

Sue Richardson