4.1 Describe the key features of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

You were introduced to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the Year 11 dot point 4.4 Examine how the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are being used to improve health

This section is not about relearning the SDGs from the beginning. Instead, it refines and strengthens your understanding by focusing specifically on SDG 3, SDG 4, SDG 10 and SDG 11. You need to understand their key features, purpose, and areas of focus so you can clearly communicate what each goal is targeting.

This dot point provides the foundation for the next 4.2 Evaluate the application of SDGs 3, 4, 10 and 11 to inform
strategies to improve the health status of a community, where you will be required to evaluate how these goals are applied to improve the health status of a community. This is a high-level skill that requires you to move beyond description and make judgements about effectiveness, which is a common requirement in extended-response questions.

1. What are the SDGs?

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are 17 global goals set by the United Nations in 2015. They are part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (a worldwide plan to improve people’s lives by 2030). The SDGs give countries a shared way to improve health, education, and Equity, while also protecting the environment. The aim is progress now without creating bigger problems for the future.

The SDGs have several key features that guide how they are used and how progress is measured:

• Universal: they apply to all countries, including Australia, not only low-income nations.
• Time-bound: they are meant to be achieved by 2030, which helps governments set priorities and timelines.
• Targets and indicators: each goal has targets (the outcomes to achieve) and indicators (the measures used to track progress).
• Integrated: the goals connect. Progress in one goal often supports another (for example, Quality Education can improve health outcomes).
• Equity-focused: the SDGs aim to leave no one behind, so effort is directed towards groups facing the greatest disadvantage.
• Shared responsibility and partnerships: progress depends on many groups working together through partnerships and collaboration, not just one sector acting alone.

Example: A state health department uses local data to find suburbs with low vaccination rates. It then works with schools, GPs, and community services to improve access. This shows targets and indicators, Equity, and partnerships working together.

These four goals are especially relevant in Health and Movement Science because they describe the conditions that shape health across populations, including access to services, learning, fairness, and the environments where people live.

SDG 3: Good Health and Wellbeing

SDG 3 aims to ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all at all ages.

SDG 3 focuses on improving health outcomes and strengthening the systems that support health. Key features include:

• Universal health coverage (UHC): access to essential health services without financial hardship (for example, not skipping care because of cost).
• Maternal, newborn and child health: reducing preventable deaths and improving health in early life.
• Communicable diseases: preventing and controlling infectious diseases (for example, through vaccination, surveillance, and treatment).
• Non-communicable diseases (NCDs): reducing early deaths from chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes through prevention and management.
• Mental health and substance use: improving prevention, early support, and treatment for mental ill-health and harmful substance use.
• Health system strength and emergency readiness: a skilled workforce, safe services, and readiness for outbreaks and disasters.

In Australia, SDG 3 links to health systems and strategies such as Medicare, public hospitals, and preventive programmes (such as immunisation). It also includes targeted work to improve outcomes for groups with poorer health, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

Example: A GP practice uses My Health Record and local referral pathways to support a patient with type 2 diabetes. This includes monitoring, medication reviews, and lifestyle support. This reflects SDG 3’s focus on ongoing care and equitable access.

SDG 4: Quality Education

SDG 4 aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.

SDG 4 is about both access to education and what students learn. Key features include:

• Access and completion: participation in schooling, including finishing primary and secondary education.
• Equity and inclusion: reducing barriers linked to disability, location, socioeconomic status, and other forms of disadvantage.
• Quality learning: improving learning outcomes, including literacy and numeracy, not just attendance.
• Safe and supportive learning environments: schools that are safe, accessible, and supportive of learning.
• Skilled teachers and adequate resources: trained teachers and learning materials that support good teaching.
• Lifelong learning: opportunities beyond school, including vocational and higher education pathways.

In Australia, SDG 4 is reflected in the focus on school completion, inclusive education, and reducing achievement gaps. This includes national commitments such as Closing the Gap in education.

Example: A regional high school provides online tutoring, subsidised devices, and targeted literacy support. This helps students who have limited subject choice and long travel times. This reflects SDG 4’s focus on Equity and Quality Education.

SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

SDG 10 aims to reduce inequality within and among countries. This means improving fairness in opportunities, outcomes, and participation.

SDG 10 focuses on why unequal outcomes happen, and what can reduce them. Key features include:

• Social inclusion: improving participation and belonging for groups experiencing marginalisation.
• Economic inclusion: reducing income and wealth gaps through policies that support fair living standards.
• Equal opportunity: reducing discrimination and removing structural barriers in systems such as education, work, and health care.
• Fair access to services: making sure essential services are accessible regardless of geography, disability, or income.
• Support for vulnerable groups: targeted strategies for communities facing long-term disadvantage.
• Global dimension: recognising that international systems and resources can affect inequality between countries.

In Australia, SDG 10 links to policies that reduce disadvantage, including income support, access to public services, and disability supports such as the NDIS. It also links to Closing the Gap, which aims to reduce inequities affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Example: A person with disability uses NDIS-funded assistive communication technology and support worker hours. This helps the person attend TAFE and join community sport. This shows SDG 10’s focus on inclusive participation and Equal opportunity.

SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

SDG 11 aims to make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable.

SDG 11 focuses on how places are designed and managed. Where people live can shape health, safety, and opportunity. Key features include:

• Affordable and safe housing: reducing homelessness and housing stress, and improving living conditions.
• Sustainable transport: safe, accessible public and active transport that reduces congestion and pollution.
• Healthy built environments: walkable neighbourhoods, access to facilities, and design that supports movement and social connection.
• Green and public spaces: parks and community spaces that are safe and accessible for all ages and abilities.
• Environmental impact: reducing pollution, improving waste management, and using resources more efficiently.
• Resilience: planning for and responding to climate risks and disasters, including heatwaves, floods, and bushfires.

In Australia, SDG 11 links to decisions about public transport, walkability, access to green space, and planning in places at higher risk of heatwaves, floods, and bushfire.

Example: A local council adds shaded footpaths, better lighting, a bike path to the train station, and a cooled community centre for heatwaves. This supports safer movement and more daily physical activity, and it improves community resilience.

2. How SDG 3, 4, 10, and 11 connect

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are designed to operate as an interconnected framework, rather than as isolated targets. Progress in one goal often strengthens outcomes in others, meaning that improvements in areas such as education, urban environments, and equity can collectively contribute to better health outcomes. Understanding these connections helps you recognise how broad social, economic, and environmental changes work together to influence health and wellbeing across a community.