For the End Child Poverty Campaign, led by the Valuing Children Initiative (VCI), the Australian Child and Youth Wellbeing Atlas provides valuable local data to support advocacy to end child poverty in Australia.
The VCI campaign team used population level data from the Atlas to develop the Port Hedland Child Voice Report, a situational profile of the area. While Port Hedland is often viewed as one of Australia's wealthiest regional communities, due to its central role in the mining industry and its significant contribution to national exports, the data highlighted significant inequalities affecting some children and families, particularly in South Hedland.
Atlas indicators helped provide local context on child wellbeing and disadvantage, complementing community insights, child voice, and lived experience. Together, these sources highlighted challenges including housing stress, overcrowding, geographic isolation and barriers to accessing essential services.
The campaign also drew on the Child Poverty Rate indicator included in the Atlas which shows the proportion of children aged 0-14 years living below the poverty line. By providing accessible community-level data, the Atlas helps illustrate how child poverty varies across Australia and where children may be experiencing greater disadvantage.
VCI is dedicated to ensuring children and young people are valued, their rights and voices are heard, and their needs are prioritised in decision-making. In September 2026, Campaign Lead Sarah Quinton visited Canberra to advocate for legislation to end child poverty (pictured). During the visit, politicians received a copy of the Port Hedland Child Voice Report and heard directly from children and young people about the realities of living in South Hedland. The campaign attracted significant local media attention including a feature in the North West Telegraph (pictured).
This work demonstrates how Atlas data can complement local knowledge and the voices of children to strengthen advocacy, inform policy discussions at the federal level and keep children's wellbeing at the centre of decision-making.
