By Steve Davies
In an era where trust in politics is fragile and government decisions impact every household, the Australian Quality of Life Index (AQLI) offers a groundbreaking way to measure what truly matters – fairness, empathy, and responsibility in policymaking. Developed with AI tools like DeepSeek and Grok, this index goes beyond economic numbers to assess how well policies align with the moral fabric of Australian society.
The Power of AI in Analysing Government Actions
AI isn’t just for tech giants – it’s a tool for every citizen to hold leaders accountable. By using carefully designed prompts, AI can swiftly dissect budget speeches, laws, and public service actions, revealing gaps and strengths in governance. For instance:
Jim Chalmers’ 2025 Budget scored 4/6 (Significant) for financial security, with tax cuts and energy rebates easing household stress. However, it fell short on emotional support, with AI noting: “Care present through broader services, but inconsistent focus on emotional harmony within households.”
Peter Dutton’s Budget Reply also scored 3.5/6 (Moderate-Significant), praised for cost-of-living relief but critiqued for lacking vision: “Policies risk exacerbating inequality and exclusion… no holistic environmental strategy.”
These insights, generated in minutes, would take analysts weeks to compile manually. AI doesn’t just speed up analysis – it democratises it, giving everyday Australians the tools to demand better governance.
Saving Taxpayer Millions
Imagine if every policy, speech, public service procedure, even laws and legislation were instantly assessed against benchmarks like the AQLI. Wasteful spending could be flagged early, ineffective programs adjusted, and trust restored through transparency. AI-driven analysis could save millions by ensuring taxpayer money aligns with real quality-of-life outcomes – not just political promises.
A Call to Action
As one AI assessment put it: “The budget reflects a responsible, empathetic approach but lacks the transformative depth for world-leading moral standards.” Australians deserve more than just functional governance – they deserve exceptional leadership. With AI and frameworks like the AQLI, citizens now have the power to track, critique, and champion policies that truly improve lives.
Final Thought
Good government shouldn’t be a mystery – it should be measurable. AI makes that possible.
Everything people need to know (including the analyses of the budget statement and budget reply), is in Can Australia Trust Its Leaders? Measuring Quality of Life Beyond the Budget. The AI prompts can be used and applied to analyse every political statement, policy and more.
Steve Davies is a retired public servant. His expertise is in the areas of organisational research and people development. He’s always been attracted to forward looking work. He’s a vocal critic of destructive, cruel and backwards looking behaviours and practices.
Over the years he’s spoken in depth with whistleblowers and advocated the use of technology (including social media tech) to empower people to do great things together.
His thinking and work have been heavily influenced by such great thinkers and researchers as Shoshana Zuboff, Albert Bandura and Peter Senge for decades.
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It is easy to say ‘ Australians deserve good governance ‘ , but until voters take their job seriously by seeking the best information , and BEING GIVEN IT BY RESPONSIBLE UNBIASED MEDIA , we do not deserve the best! Some of us deserve better from lazy voters , who dismiss politics as ‘ all are corrupt , so why bother’ .
Steve,you’ve outlined reasons that the Duopoly will fight tooth and nail against.The political class consenting to being held accountable?Fat chance.Especially those on Dutton’s side of the ledger,lies and incompetence is their stock in trade.If the voters get their shit together, there might be a third way that opens the door..Greens and Indies.
Thank you Steve.
I guess I kind of hope for another hung parliament, or a minority Labor government where people who are actually close to their electorates can help write better, more equitable legislation. We had it during the Rudd/Gillard/Rudd times, good, socially and environmentally responsible legislation, only to see the best of it scrapped by the priestly Tony Abbott. I wish he had become a priest… ah well, it took 9 years to get rid of him and his mates, lets not let them back.
I am surprised that the Dutton score was as high a 3.5/6. But then he does not have the treasury with him, if he gets in and needs (which he will no doubt) to revise the budget he proposes, the score may well diminish to less than 3.
AI makes trusk both human and bearable. Grindes make dutton preferable?