SECNA lodges submission to the inquiry into the procurement practices of government agencies in NSW

A major inquiry into employment services in Australia has recommended the system be completely rebuilt, with social enterprise as part of the solution.

The Australian government’s roadmap includes commitments to strengthening social enterprise in Australia.

The United Nations General Assembly has made a historic resolution to support the social and solidarity economy.

Want to be involved in the social enterprise festival we’re planning for May 2023? Put in an expression of interest as a sponsor, stallholder, food vendor, musician/entertainer, workshop facilitator, organiser and more.

There are some incredible opportunities to build and grow your social enterprise across NSW and ACT at the moment. Here are just a few.

“It is absolutely time that we start recognising that businesses are great tools for getting things done but that the measure of success is not how much money one organisation or person can keep for themselves, but how much they can do for the world”, Kylie says.

Social Traders are providing free certification and recognition membership for SECNA members who are certifying for the first time!

As the social enterprise movement grows across Australia, we encourage you take this opportunity to get independent verification and recognition as a social enterprise.

Building on conversations with and around the social enterprise sector, the Yunus Centre mapped a possible path forward to an Australian social enterprise strategy. Based on this, the Social Enterprise National Strategy (SENS) team is working on five things in the lead up to the Social Enterprise World Forum in Brisbane in September 2022.

Off the back of huge advocacy efforts, the Federal Government has announced trailblazing funding to support refugee employment. It is a $24.6 million four-year grant program with the Department of Home Affairs. This funding will be available to social enterprises to create opportunities for employment for refugee and humanitarian entrants. It will help the sector to maximise the critical role we all know it can play. It will show how government and social enterprise can together unlock greater economic inclusion.

In August this year, a collaboration about work integration social enterprises (WISEs) formally kicked off. It's called the WISE Hub. Its purpose is to strengthen the enabling environment for the WISE sector so that it can grow and unlock greater economic inclusion.

Jo Barraket, Cindy Mitchell, Luke Terry, Sally McGeoch, Cindy Carpenter and Jess Moore - all working toward this purpose already - came together to form the WISE Hub Committee. SECNA is providing backbone support.

In case you missed it, the Social Enterprise World Forum (SEWF) is coming to Australia in 2022!

SEWF is an opportunity for social enterprise leaders and practitioners worldwide to network and exchange ideas. The multi-day event of roundtables, panels and open forums will discuss issues relevant to running a social enterprise, measuring impact and navigating the ecosystem.

The Social Enterprise National Strategy (SENS) project is entering its next phase of development: activation. With this comes changes to governance and an Executive Director.

The Social Enterprise Unconference was the first initiative in a series of ongoing activities designed to unite the sector in preparation for the Social Enterprise World Forum (SEWF). The interest (almost 700 registrations!), engagement and enthusiasm is testament to the collaborative strength of the social enterprise sector and its hunger for a more cohesive ecosystem.