Advocacy
Social enterprise for a wellbeing economy
Economic Reform Roundtable submission
July 2025
A strong economy is important but is a means not an end. This submission highlights the need for the purpose of the Australian economy to be social and environmental, one that puts people and planet first. Efforts to improve productivity, enhance economic resilience and strengthen budget sustainability should centre wellbeing.
Social enterprises - businesses that put people and planet first - are a critical tool for social and environmental innovation and a wellbeing economy.
In a submission to the Australian Government’s Economic Reform Roundtable, we recommend that the Government partner with Social Enterprise Australia on a national strategy for social enterprise, resulting in improved outcomes for Australians and a significant return on investment.
The Economic Pathways to Refugee Integration (EPRI) program is trailblazing funding for social enterprises to create employment opportunities for refugees and humanitarian entrants with low English and low recognised skills and qualifications.
In this submission we consider key learnings from EPRI and recommend that it continue and expand - for continuity of service and outcomes to communities, to sustain and scale social enterprise capacity and cross-sector relationships, and to build an evidence base to inform future approaches.
The submission is part of our 2025-26 Pre-Budget ask, which calls for three things that are needed from the Federal Government to unlock the impact of social enterprise in Australia.
Economic Pathways to Refugee Integration
Requests of the Australian Government
February 2025
In recent years we’ve seen more extreme weather, a pandemic and a cost-of-living crisis. Australia’s social, environmental and economic challenges hit the most disadvantaged people hardest - and they demand new responses.
Social enterprises can help. They innovate for social and environmental good - and harness the power of business to test and scale new ideas.
There are an estimated 12,000 social enterprises in Australia and increasing recognition of their impact. But they need targeted support to reach their potential.
In our 2025-26 Federal Budget submission, we outline three things that are needed from the Australian Government to help make social enterprise business as usual.
Unlock the impact of social enterprise
2025-2026 Pre-budget submission
January 2025
Work integration social enterprises (WISEs) exist to provide employment opportunities for those who are most shut-out of work. They are a proven way to unlock sustainable employment outcomes for the most disadvantaged people, groups and places.
Australia needs WISEs and their innovative approach, but systemic challenges have stifled their ability to scale, despite the public value they create.
WISEs incur costs that standard businesses do not; costs to deliver impact. These are called Impact Costs. Not being able to recoup their Impact Costs - to be paid for the public value and savings they create - has hampered WISEs’ ability to sustain, scale, and maximise the role they play.
Now is the time to change this.
This submission to the Australian Government outlines how this can be addressed to unlock greater economic inclusion.
Work integration social enterprise
Requests of the Australian Government
December 2024
Australia faces social, environmental and economic challenges that demand new, expanded, and joined-up responses. The social enterprise sector can help. Social enterprises combine the power of business to resource and test new ideas with a compass of public good. This makes them a critical tool for social and environmental innovation.
But change is needed to unlock their full potential.
The Government is already investing in parts of this change. We recommend that the Government consolidates its efforts through the development of a Commonwealth Social Enterprise Strategy and further investment:
Powered by a partnership between the Sector, the Government, and others
Underpinned by certification and evidence
Including social procurement, impact investment, outcome payments, and capability-building.
A budget to unlock the impact of social enterprise
2024-2025 Pre-budget submission
January 2024
Understanding the Impact Costs of WISEs
Research by the Centre for Social Impact Swinburne, commissioned by Social Enterprise Australia and funded by the Westpac Foundation
November 2023
Work Integration Social Enterprises (WISEs) or jobs-focused social enterprises exist to provide employment, or pathways to employment, for people who are disadvantaged in the labour market.
They play a vital role in creating employment opportunities for people facing complex barriers to work. However, because they prioritise their social purpose, they incur costs that standard businesses do not.
With the growing focus on outcomes funding from government, philanthropy, and impact investment, understanding the nature of the Impact Costs that WISEs face has become increasingly important.
This research - to understand these WISE ‘Impact Costs’ and to provide a framework so that all WISEs can estimate their Impact Costs, is now available.
Other submissions
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Work integration social enterprises (WISEs) exist to provide employment opportunities for people shut out of work. They unlock better outcomes than mainstream employment services for people experiencing significant disadvantage, particularly long-term employment outcomes.
However, while the Federal Government pays employment service providers and employers for their role in tackling unemployment, as it involves costs, this funding has largely not been available to WISEs. This has hampered their ability to sustain, scale, and to maximise the role they play.
We recommend that future employment services be designed towards the goal of access to decent work for all, and be supported by unemployment payments that sit above the poverty line. Further, we recommend that payments to deliver employment outcomes be made available to social enterprises. We see these payments being co-designed, and underpinned by innovation zones, data, and social enterprise certification.
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Economic dynamism, competition and business formation - even the economy itself - are not ends but means. They provide ways to fulfil purpose. This submission says that the main purpose of our economy should be social and environmental wellbeing.
Social enterprises innovate using a compass of public benefit. They create employment opportunities for people most shut out of work, provide care for people and the planet, deepen democracy and social connection, and address product or service gaps, particularly in disadvantaged communities and thin markets.
However, the social enterprise sector is currently held back due to fragmentation, under-representation, and being underserved.
We seek a social enterprise national strategy to change this; one powered by a partnership between the sector and Government. We see this being underpinned by data and certification. Dependent on these things, we also see it incorporating social procurement, access to finance, outcome payments, and capability building.
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A budget to unlock the impact of social enterprise.
Australia faces social, environmental and economic challenges that demand new responses. The social enterprise sector can help. However, the sector is currently held back due to fragmentation, under-representation, and being underserved. As a result, it is not realising its latent potential. Because social enterprise sits between traditional business and charity, many fall through the gaps in the support infrastructures that exist for the two sectors. It does the job of both without the enablers of either. We seek a social enterprise national strategy to change this; one informed and powered by a partnership between the sector and Government.
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We welcome the Federal Government’s stated commitment to measuring what matters. It can help put the wellbeing of all people, places and the planet at the heart of decision-making. It can support social innovation - new ways to tackle big shared challenges.
We recommend that the Government:
Collect data to see and locate disadvantage
Build capability and tools within Government, and at the action level
Share data that can support work to improve wellbeing and inform innovation
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What social enterprise brings to Australia has been little known - until now. Research commissioned by Social Enterprise Australia makes visible the value of the people and organisations that make up the social enterprise sector. And shows that - despite limited Federal Government recognition and support - the social enterprise sector makes a significant economic contribution to Australia.
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Work integration social enterprises (WISEs) exist to provide employment opportunities for people shut out of work. They unlock better outcomes than mainstream employment services for people experiencing significant disadvantage, particularly long-term employment outcomes.
To better enable WISEs to grow this impact, we recommend the Federal Government:
Pay WISEs to deliver outcomes
Establish a Federal social procurement framework that names and puts targets to
Buying from social enterprise
Enhance access to capital for WISEs
Use social enterprise certification
Co-design, test and learn from these enablers with the social enterprise sector
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Social enterprise has been a ‘best-kept secret’ for far too long.
Our best opportunity to grow the profile of the sector is to work collaboratively – by speaking in the same voice at the same time. That’s why a group of marketing experts from across the social enterprise sector volunteered their time to launch a campaign. It's designed to profile and promote social enterprise. It includes copy, social media graphics and a video. It's designed for people across the sector to use.