07/08/2026
Port Hedland looks like a remote industrial town, but the economy moving through its harbour is larger than that of many countries.
In 2024-25, the port handled 577.7 million tonnes of cargo, equal to almost 1.6 million tonnes every day. Iron ore dominates, with Port Hedland processing roughly 43 per cent of global seaborne iron ore exports. BHP, Fortescue, Hancock and Mineral Resources rely on its channel, berths and shiploaders to reach Asian steel mills.
The financial footprint extends far beyond the Pilbara.
An ACIL Allen study found the Port Hedland supply chain contributed $103.7 billion to Australia’s economy in 2022-23. Around $90.7 billion of that activity was generated in Western Australia.
Employment figures are equally insane. The supply chain supported 200,627 full-time-equivalent jobs nationally, including 126,080 in WA. That represented almost one in every nine full-time jobs across the state. Within Port Hedland itself, port-linked activity supported 8,158 jobs, or about 74 per cent of local employment.
Governments receive an enormous share too. During 2022-23, the supply chain paid approximately $6 billion to the WA Government, including $5.56 billion in resource royalties and $329 million in payroll tax. Commonwealth tax payments reached about $14 billion, while local governments received another $156 million.
Between 2023-24 and 2032-33, the same supply chain is projected to generate $156.3 billion in taxes and royalties.
Port Hedland may sit on Australia’s remote northwest coast, but financially, it operates like a national treasury with a shipping channel built around iron ore exports.
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Photo: Paul Balfe / Creative Commons (Flickr)
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