Hubs recommended to strengthen economic inclusion

Published

Monday, April 27, 2026 - 12:00 PM

The Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee (EIAC) 2026 Report to Government calls for reform to Australia’s early childhood system, and to extend delivery of Child and Family Hubs (Hubs) to best support communities – particularly those experiencing disadvantage.

The EIAC provides independent advice to the Australian Government ahead of every Federal Budget to help strengthen economic inclusion and address disadvantage. In its 2026 report, the Committee recommends a more integrated, place‑based approach to supporting children and families.

The EIAC report (2026) states:

'The Government should work with states and territories to implement planning, budgeting and administration reforms to integrate child and maternal health, disability, and early learning services more effectively. These reforms should include a place‑based capacity to plan and commission services locally and should extend delivery of holistic early years hub models. The first priority should be to address needs in underserved communities.'

The EIAC also recommends renewed investment in Aboriginal Child and Family Centres, highlighting their importance in delivering culturally safe and effective early years support. The report recommends that:

'The Government work with the Secretariat of National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care and other First Nations stakeholders to re‑invigorate, re‑fund and expand the Aboriginal Child and Family Centre model, learning the lessons of past successes and challenges. This should include a robust evaluation strategy and funding which is linked to outcomes.'

Australia’s early years reform landscape

Australia is currently undergoing substantial early years reform, with major investments across multiple government portfolios, including Thriving Kids and the Building Early Education Fund. This reform agenda presents an unprecedented opportunity to deliver lasting change by building a more equitable, culturally responsive and integrated early years system, ensuring every child has the opportunity to thrive.

The existing national network of more than 470 Hubs – of which 40% are Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations (ACCOs) delivering integrated early years services – are well placed to support this reform agenda. 

Hubs provide established social infrastructure that strengthens service coordination, prevention and early intervention, and improves equity for children and families.

ACCO-led integrated early years services (Hubs) exemplify a model of how strong community-based services can deliver effective early intervention and prevention programs strengthening children and families.

The evidence and economic value of Child and Family Hubs

A growing evidence base demonstrates that Hubs support early identification of developmental vulnerability, increase service uptake, and improve coordination across education, health and social services. These improvements translate into better child health and education outcomes, including for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. ^{[i], [ii], [iii], [iv]} Hubs also deliver strong economic value, generating $3.50 in social value for every $1 invested.^[v]

Using Hubs to deliver on Government reforms effectively

1. Thriving Kids

Hubs offer a practical environment for trialling and refining new approaches to Thriving Kids, including relational contracting and multidisciplinary practice. Their design supports strong system feedback loops, generating timely insights on what works, for whom and in what context. This learning capability can support Government to make informed decisions about scaling effective Thriving Kids models across diverse communities.

View our Position Paper: Hubs Provide a Ready Platform and Learning System for Delivering Thriving Kids Efficiently

2. The Building Early Education Fund

There is an opportunity for the Building Early Education Fund to deliver more than early childhood education and care alone, by intentionally designing for integrated services, particularly in communities experiencing the greatest levels of need.

View our Brief: Setting Up the Building Early Education Fund for Success

3. Commonwealth Department of Social Services

Hubs provide an effective local delivery platform for the new family and child programs being developed through the Commonwealth Department of Social Services, and offer a practical vehicle to help deliver on other key reform priorities including the Early Years Strategy, the National Agreement on Closing the Gap, place-based initiatives, and universal ECEC reform.

View our DSS submission: Advancing an Integrated Place-based Approach to Better Support Children and Families

For more information, reach out to National Child and Family Hubs Network Advocacy Lead, Carly Nowell: [email protected]

 

^[i] Carneiro, P., Cattan, S., Conti, G., Crawford. C., Farquharson, C., Ridpath, N. (2025). The short- and medium-term effects of Sure Start on children’s outcomes, The Institute for Fiscal Studies.

^[ii] Hayre, J., Pearce, H., Khera, R., Lunn, A.D., Ford, J.A. (2025). Health impacts of the Sure Start programme on disadvantaged children in the UK: a systematic review. BMJ Open. Feb 20;15(2):e089983. doi:10.1136/ bmjopen-2024-089983.

^[iii] Deloitte (2024). Community Hubs Australia Social return on investment evaluation of the National Community Hubs Program, 2023. 

^[iv] CIRCA. (2014). Evaluation of NSW Aboriginal Child and Family Centres, NSW Department of Family and Community Services.

^[v] Deloitte. (2024). Community Hubs Australia Social return on investment evaluation of the National Community Hubs Program, 2023. www.deloitte.com/au/en/services/economics/perspectives/exploring-need-fundingmodels-national-approach-integrated-child-familycentres.html