Pilbara children's voices heard in Canberra amid calls for national child poverty strategy

A stark contrast exists between the wealth generated by the Pilbara region and the poverty experienced by some children in South Hedland, just 15 kilometres from the world's largest bulk export port, Port Hedland.

Every month, billions of dollars in trade are exported through Port Hedland, but children in South Hedland are experiencing what has been described as "profound disadvantage". The Pilbara has long been touted as the engine room of Australia's economy, yet one of the wealthiest regions in Australia is seeing children go without basic necessities.

Voices of children heard

Tania Murray, chief executive of South Hedland's Youth Involvement Council (YIC), described the contrast as confronting.

"For some of our young people, it's going home to housing that is below acceptable standards, very little food, overcrowding, there's no adequate air conditioning, even though we live in a desert," she said.

"And at times there's very little sense of safety, and that's when poverty stops being an economic statistic."

The Valuing Children Initiative's (VCI) End Child Poverty campaign captured the voices of children in South Hedland, which were recorded through a phone and played to federal ministers and MPs in Canberra.

Tania Murray said it was essential to hear directly from the children.

"When the researchers from VCI came up, our job wasn't to research what children in Hedland experience; our job was to create a safe opportunity for children to tell themselves," Ms Murray said.

Call for national strategy

End Child Poverty campaign lead and VCI executive director Sarah Quinton said it was crucial that children were asked about their experiences directly.

"We were invited to South Hedland by the Youth Involvement Council because they were so concerned about the number of children that they were seeing," she said.

"They're talking about 500 children that they see who come to their service and they were saying that they're very hungry all the time, they haven't eaten, they haven't slept, they haven't gone to school."

WA Commissioner for Children and Young People Jacqueline McGowan-Jones said she was not surprised by the findings.

"There's a two-speed economy. There's all the money going out every day in the port; children see that and they understand it," she said.

"We know from talking to children themselves, that this is a critical issue … I've spoken to elders, I've spoken to community groups, I've spoken to the Aboriginal community-controlled organisations, and we know there is more to be done."

Ms Quinton said there needed to be a nationally legislated strategy to end child poverty that included a definition and metrics for children.

"We might have measures like CPI, we might have mortgage rates, those kinds of things, those are very adult-centred poverty measures," she said.

"Seeing the world from a child's point of view is so much different from an adult's point of view, we need to start measuring that."

Urgent action needed

Dr McGowan-Jones echoed calls for a nationally legislated poverty reduction strategy.

"We've got to stop blaming kids for the circumstances they're born into over which they have no control," she said.

"By not supporting them, by not providing the services and supports, we're basically saying, 'You don't matter."

In a statement, a spokesperson for the federal Department of Social Services said the government was working to break the cycle of disadvantage and improve the wellbeing of children.

"We know children and families in regional and remote areas like the Pilbara can face unique barriers," the spokesperson said.

"Children and families in the area have access to programs designed to improve wellbeing and connection."

Ms Murray called on decision-makers to see the issues firsthand.

"My message to the people in Canberra is to come and see it," she said.

"Most importantly, sit down with our young people and listen to them."