Leading thinkers in science, economics, industry, government and other fields already know that the future is not predictable in detail or with certainty. This project was about improving Australia’s ability to anticipate and prepare for major social, economic and environmental change in the next 10-100 years, especially the type of change that creeps up on decision makers and can catch them, and the rest of society, unprepared.

Resilience is a critical property that allows a country to prosper in a world in which the only certainty is ever increasing rates of change. The future wellbeing of Australia depends on its Australia’s adaptive capacity and on how generally resilient our ecological and social systems are.

This book explores diverse perspectives on processes and trends that might be increasing or decreasing aspects of Australia’s resilience to future changes.

Australia21 hosted a conference in 2010 that examined the application of resilience thinking to public policy. The conference brought thinkers, researchers and policy makers together to determine how a resilience lens can help to build a brighter future in uncertain times.

Because the social and emotional well-being of young people in Australia is declining, urgent attention needs to be focussed on the systems which support and nurture Australian children from before birth to the age of 8 years.