A common theme across BETA’s work this year has been empowering Australians.
Good policy starts with understanding people… Policy decisions informed by high quality evidence and an understanding of people are more likely to work and improve the lives of Australians.
— Secretary, Dr Steven Kennedy PSM – BI Connect 2025
In 2025, BETA worked with our partners to put people at the heart of policy. We empowered Australians to tackle cost of living pressures, navigate complex decisions, make informed choices, and access services with ease. This was achieved with respect for people's autonomy and their freedom of choice.
Tackling cost of living pressures
BETA partnered with Treasury to help Australians get a better deal on their home loan and savings account interest rates. We tested customer prompts and ways to help people find and switch to better products. We found that prominent and personalised prompts draw attention to the benefits of switching, but they are only the first step. There are also barriers that prompts alone cannot address, like complex products, difficulty comparing options and administrative burdens. Building on the findings in our report, we are running a further field trial to support people to engage with the market. We look forward to sharing the results next year.
BETA also worked with the Australian Energy Regulator to help Australians find a better energy deal. We tested whether recent changes to energy bills would improve people’s comprehension, and their confidence to engage with the market. Our research found the changes made bills simpler and clearer for customers. We also saw more people visit the Energy Made Easy comparison website. Several hundred thousand Australians took up the suggestion to search for a better plan when it was on their bills. BETA also tested and recommended improvements to the Energy Made Easy website. Recommendations included making it easier to compare energy plans and defaulting people to the most effective method of calculating their energy spend. The changes increased the number of people completing the search form and viewing the results by 14% (from 70% to 84%). More people also followed through to select and review individual plans in detail (from 9% to 28%).
Navigating complex decisions and making informed choices
BETA partnered with the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) to support Australians to make complex decisions, like purchasing a house or a car. Our research found that people are more likely to choose homes that display a comparatively high energy efficiency rating. Sellers were also more likely to make energy upgrades before putting a property up for sale when a rating will be displayed. Along with our research on high-impact decisions that reduce household emissions, these findings informed the Home Energy Ratings Disclosure Framework. This sets out a national approach to implementing disclosure schemes across Australia.
Battery electric vehicles account for 1 in 10 passenger vehicles currently sold in the Australian new car market. An electric vehicle would be a great decision for many Australians. It could see significant cost savings and emissions reduction. But for others, it would not meet their current needs. BETA carried out a large-scale survey of Australians to understand their car-buying process and empower them to make informed choices. The findings will inform DCCEEW’s online resources and will be published early in 2026.
BETA partnered with the Department of Home Affairs to design and test cyber security labels to empower consumers to understand the security risks of smart devices (household products that connect to the internet) at the point of sale. Building on our past work, we used cyber security labels to help consumers assess the security of products they are considering.
Supporting the Public Service to deliver for Australians
BETA undertook research to support the design of respectful government services and programs. We found that stigma in government services would be reduced by:
- promoting customer dignity in government service interactions
- emphasising the shared value of Australia’s social safety net
- careful and empathetic use of language
- creating supportive and psychologically safe spaces for customers.
BETA also launched a new guide and training course to assist the APS in developing better surveys. Our ‘learn by doing’ approach to the course was well received. Our course participants enjoyed the opportunity to apply their new knowledge.
Along with a number of key reports going live, our year concluded with a very successful instalment of our annual conference, BI Connect. This year’s event focused on the use of behavioural insights in government. We heard from esteemed behavioural insights practitioners across Australia and overseas. Our speakers shared how they design evidence based policies and programs that work for the community. A panel discussed how to embed evidence within the APS. This includes how groups like BETA, the Australian Centre of Evaluation and the Office of Impact Analysis support informed policy decisions. The event closed with reflections from Nadine Williams, Deputy Secretary at PM&C. Nadine shared how behavioural insights in government is growing and shifting from testing ideas to putting them into practice. Recordings from the event are available on our website.
Thank you
Thank you to our project partners, Academic Advisory Panel and PM&C colleagues for all their support. Together, we can be proud of the high-quality evidence we have generated and the impact we have made towards improving the lives of Australians.
We wish you an enjoyable break and look forward to working with you in 2026.