Â鶹Éçmadou Societal Impact Framework
In our 75-year history, Â鶹Éçmadou has contributed immensely to society through a myriad of innovations and activities.ÌýÌý
Our contributions include, but are not limited to, solar photovoltaics technology, infectious disease elimination and control, restoration of endangered species and habitat, transforming waste materials into value-added products, human rights and international refugee law, and improving access to justice, social and economic policy.Â
The inaugural Â鶹Éçmadou Societal Impact Framework sets out to connect us to the most pressing challenges of our times and the areas in which Â鶹Éçmadou can have unique and significant impact.ÌýÌý
By concentrating our efforts in four Impact Focus Areas that reflect current public issues, we will strengthen our leadership as a local and global driver of positive societal change.Â
At its core, the Societal Impact Framework commits us to embed Indigenous peoples’ ways of knowing, being and doing in our activities to improve society across all our Impact Focus Areas.
Through this we demonstrate a significant commitment to Incorporate Indigenous Knowledges, and to leadership and advocacy for Indigenous rights, aspirations, self-governance, education, and community-led outcomes.
Indigenous knowledges provide a unique and holistic insight into land management and environmental resilience, health, community wellbeing, and more. Indigenous peoples have an immense understanding and knowledge that has the potential to change our approaches, enhance innovation, and drive advancements that benefit society.ÌýÌýÂ
The Framework also includes Cross-cutting themes that guide us, and like Indigenous Knowledges, are embedded across all our Impact Focus Areas. These are:Â
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- Social Justice
Societal Impact Goals
The Impact Focus Areas are four of the nine Strategic Pillars in the Â鶹Éçmadou Strategy: Progress for All. The Impact Focus Areas have accompanying Societal Impact Goals that reflect the societal change we would like to see achieved locally and globally. These goals require multi-sector contribution, and we are ambitious in our intention for Â鶹Éçmadou to make a significant contribution to these collective goals for major positive societal impact.ÌýÌý
The goals are adopted from local and global targets including the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).Â
Strategic Pillar 6:Â Accelerate the transition to a sustainable society and planet
1. Achieve net-zero emissions by 2050
2. Restore 30% of ecosystems in areas of particular importance for biodiversity to improve planetary health
3. Reduce waste generation by 30% through prevention, recycling and reuse
Strategic Pillar 7:Â Advance economic and social prosperity
1. Reignite productivity growth in line with the national agenda
2. Reduce at least by half the proportion of all peoples of all ages living in poverty
3. Increase the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 25–64 who are employed to 62%
4. Increase low-SES participation in tertiary education to 20.2% and reach parity by 2050
Strategic Pillar 8:Â Enable healthy lives
1. Increase healthy lifespans of all Australians by two years, and those in underrepresented and minority populations in Australia and the region by three years
2. Reduce by one-third premature mortality from non-communicable diseases
3. Achieve health equity for priority populations
Strategic Pillar 9:Â Strengthen societal resilience, security, and cohesion
1. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
2. Ensure Australia’s sovereign capability by advancing expertise, new technologies, and sharing knowledge
3. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all; and ensure sustainable food production and resilient agricultural practices
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Accelerate the transition to a sustainable society and planetÌýÌý
1. Achieve net-zero emissions by 2050Â
- Paris Agreement to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change: Adopted December 12, 2015. The legally binding internationally treaty on climate change (of which Australia is a signatory) aims to reduce emissions by 45% by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050.Â
2. Restore 30% of ecosystems in areas of particular importance for biodiversity to improve planetary healthÂ
- The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
An international agreement adopted in 2022 at the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP15), of which Australia has adopted. The GBF's goals are to protect and restore biodiversity by 2030.
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3. Reduce waste generation by 30% through prevention, recycling and reuseÂ
- UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a set of 17 goals that aim to transform the world by 2030 (of which Australia is a signatory).Â
From Goal 12, Target 12.5 to substantially reduce waste generation.Â
Advance economic and social prosperityÂ
1. Reignite productivity growth in line with the national agenda
- Working Future: The Australian Government’s White Paper on Jobs and Opportunities Â
From the chapter to "Reignite productivity growth", p.75.
2. Reduce at least by half the proportion of all peoples of all ages living in povertyÂ
- UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a set of 17 goals that aim to transform the world by 2030 (of which Australia is a signatory).
From Goal 1, Target 1.2.
3. Increase the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 25–64 who are employed to 62%Â
- National Agreement on Closing the Gap
From the 2020 employment-related target: By 2031, increase the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 25–64 who are employed to 62 per cent.
4. Increase low-SES participation in tertiary education to 20.2% and reach parity by 2050Â
- Australian Universities Accord
Recommendation to Increase low-SES participation to 20.2% by 2035 from 17.0% for students from lowest quartile SES backgrounds and reach parity by 2050.
Enable healthy livesÂ
1. Increase healthy lifespans of all Australians by two years, and those in underrepresented and minority populations in Australia and the region by three yearsÂ
- Australian National Preventive Health Strategy 2021–2030
Adopted from the target that Australians will have at least an additional two years of life lived in full health by 2030, and the target Australians in the two lowest SEIFA quintiles will have at least an additional three years of life lived in full health by 2030.
, p.9 and p.73Â
2. Reduce by one third premature mortality from non-communicable diseasesÂ
- UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Adopted from Goal 3 of the SDGs target 3.4 to reduce by one third premature mortality from NCDs through prevention and treatment
3. Achieve health equity for priority populationsÂ
- Australian National Preventive Health Strategy 2021–2030
Adopted by the target that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people will have at least an additional three years of life lived in full health by 2030 under Aim 3: Health equity is achieved for priority populations.
Strengthen societal resilience, security and cohesionÂ
1. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all; and ensure sustainable food production and resilient agricultural practicesÂ
- UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Adopted from Goal 6 of the Sustainable Development Goals to and SDG Goal 2, target 2.4
2. Ensure Australia’s sovereign capability by advancing expertise, new technologies, and sharing knowledgeÂ
- The Future Made in Australia Â
Australian Government Treasury report to "Reignite productivity growth", p.75
3. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levelsÂ
- UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Adopted from Goal 16 of the SDGs
- Paris Agreement to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change: Adopted December 12, 2015. The legally binding internationally treaty on climate change (of which Australia is a signatory) aims to reduce emissions by 45% by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050.Â
How the SIF intersects with the Â鶹Éçmadou Strategy: Progress for All
The Â鶹Éçmadou Societal Impact Framework is intrinsically linked to the Â鶹Éçmadou Strategy. This diagram outlines how we will work towards achieving our ambitions for positive societal impact through our Â鶹Éçmadou Strategy: Progress for All. This is one example of how our Impact Focus Areas connect to our Strategic objectives. Full details can be found in the Â鶹Éçmadou Strategy: Progress for All.
Evaluation: Impact Indicators
As outlined in the Â鶹Éçmadou Strategy: Progress for All, we will evaluate and measure our contribution to societal impact through leveraging existing and capturing new insights on:Â
- The societal impact of our work in our four Impact Focus Areas, andÂ
- The societal change in the areas described in our Societal Impact Goals over time.Â
We will use impact indicators such as the below to evaluate and showcase the overall societal impact of our work:Â
Quality of life:
individuals or communities impacted by our activities
Sustainability and sustainable development:
improvements to our environment or society
Policy and influence:
knowledge transfer and exchange, advocacy and engagementÂ
Scholarly outputs:
traditional method of measuring impact from an academic standpoint
Commercialisation:
products, services and methodologies adopted by industry.Â
Top image: Wild Deserts, a 10-year initiative to reintroduce locally extinct mammals to Sturt National Park in north-west NSW. A partnership between Â鶹Éçmadou Sydney, Ecological Horizons, Taronga Conservation Society and NSW National Parks.