Mr Richard Eckersley

Fellow
National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health
The Australian National University
Canberra, ACT, Australia
Mail: NCEPH, ANU, ACT 0200, Australia
Phone: 61-2-6125 0681
Fax: 61-2-6125 0740
Email: richard.eckersley@anu.edu.au
Web: http://nceph.anu.edu.au/Staff/Mr_Eckersley.htm

Richard Eckersley is a fellow at the National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health at the Australian National University, Canberra, Australia, where he is working on aspects of progress and well-being. He was previously with the CSIRO Resource Futures Program.

His work covers many aspects of whether life is getting better or worse, including: measures of progress; the relationships between economic growth, quality of life and ecological sustainability; the social determinants of health and well-being; happiness and life satisfaction; visions of the future; and youth suicide and other problems.

Current and recent projects include: developing a national index of subjective well-being; analysing the cultural correlates of well-being; convening conferences and editing and contributing to books on 'The social origins of health and well-being' (2001), 'Measuring progress: Is life getting better?' (1998) and 'Challenge to change: Australia in 2020' (1995); researching and writing a discussion paper, 'Quality of life in Australia: an analysis of public perceptions' for the Australia Institute (1999); initiating and participating in a study on young people's expected and preferred futures for Australia (1995); and contributing to the Commonwealth Government report, 'Australia: State of the Environment 1996' (1995).

His former positions include: ministerial consultant in two Commonwealth Government portfolios; principal issue analyst in the Office of the Chief Executive of CSIRO; senior analyst with the Australian Commission for the Future; head of the CSIRO Media Liaison Office; and science reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald. He has a BSc(Hons) from the Australian National University and a MScSoc (Master of Science and Society) from the University of NSW. Before settling into a career, Richard worked as a labourer and professional fisherman, and travelled for two years through Africa, Western and Eastern Europe, the Soviet Union and Asia. He is married, with three children.