Hub Census 2025 – Key findings

The Hub Census 2025 highlights the significant role community hubs play in building belonging, strengthening early learning, and supporting pathways to participation and employment.

Belonging and connection: 92% said their hub helped them feel part of the community, with 83% reporting they felt less lonely.
Early learning and family engagement: 80% of parents said the hub supported their child’s readiness for school, rising to 87% among parents of pre-school aged children.
Pathways to participation and work: Among overseas-born respondents with post-school qualifications, only 34% are currently employed, while 52% want to work more – highlighting significant untapped potential.

Overall, the census shows that hubs are:

providing families with a trusted place to belong
strengthening connections between families, schools and local services
improving school outcomes by supporting early learning and parent confidence
supporting practical, everyday English language learning
contributing to productivity by supporting pathways to volunteering, training and employment

Previous Reports

2025 in Review

This report highlights key outcomes, participation and impact from across the national community hubs network in 2025, reflecting progress at a national level and the ongoing support hubs provide to families through schools and local communities.

Mid-Year Update 2025

At the six-month mark of 2025, we look back on some of the stories of impact from our hubs network. The first half of 2025 has brought encouraging momentum – from sustaining a strong national footprint of 98 hubs to continuing the vital support hubs provide to families throughout the school year.

Independent evaluation: Deloitte Access Economics

The National Community Hubs Program (NCHP) was established in 2013 to engage newly arrived communities at risk of limited access to education, health and social services, and opportunities for economic independence.

Scanlon Foundation Research Institute Narrative 10 – Community in the Classroom

The purpose of this, our 10th Narrative, is to highlight the success of the work of Community Hubs Australia in primary schools and to consider whether the premise behind them could be applied in a secondary school context.

Knowledge Translation to Support Early Learning of Refugee Children and their Families

The research presented in this report is based on a three-year study that focussed on developing understandings and resources to support current and future community hubs and centres with the settlement and early learning of refugee children and their families.

Executive summary: Social return on investment evaluation of the National Community Hubs Program, 2023

This report aims to highlight the impact of the National Community Hubs Program on local communities throughout Australia by estimating the social return on investment of the program in 2023.