The Australian Government has taken a substantial step towards recognising the contribution of social enterprise with the historic unveiling of the 'Working Future' White Paper. This policy document will shape the nation's employment landscape for years to come.

Representing the third-ever Employment White Paper in Australian history, following those in 1945 and 1994, 'Working Future' stands out as the most significant policy initiative in recent times, particularly in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. With a strong commitment to supporting social enterprise, the White Paper opens the door for new collaboration with the social enterprise sector.

Backing social enterprise: a landmark recognition of sector significance

The White Paper includes a section titled “Backing Social Enterprise” where the government commits to supporting the social enterprise sector to create jobs for people shut out of work. The paper mentions "social enterprise" 29 times and includes Social Traders data from certified social enterprises.

“This clear and explicit acknowledgment of the importance of social enterprise in addressing social and economic challenges is an important milestone for the sector. We’ll continue to advocate for social enterprise with our sector partners to fully unlock the benefits moving forward. - Alex Hooke, Executive Director Advocacy and Engagement, Social Traders

Social Traders' contribution

Social Traders helped shape the 'Working Future' White Paper through our submission to the enquiry. We positioned social enterprise as a ready-made solution to support 44,000 jobs for Australia’s most marginalised job seekers and generate savings to society of over $4.27Billion by 2030. We recommended three things:

• Building resilient supply chains, making buying from social enterprise the norm

• Supporting social enterprise, an innovative breed of business, to continue improving labour market outcomes for those who face challenges in employment

• Collaborative partnerships across government, industry, unions, civil society groups and communities

Collaborative engagement: a roadmap for social enterprise integration

While the White Paper does not offer specific, tangible initiatives yet, it lays out a promising roadmap that signals the government's priorities and commitment to the growth of the social enterprise sector. This creates a favourable environment for advocacy and the realisation of long-term goals. The potential impact of this commitment paves the way for innovative solutions to address labour market disadvantages.

There is a commitment to “working together through policy partnerships” and Social Traders will work alongside Social Enterprise Australia and other sector supporters in our ongoing advocacy with Treasury, Department of Employment and Workplace Relations and across government to design and support these initiatives.

Next steps

There are ten immediate steps that the Federal Government plans to take to address employment. Most notably, these steps include a commitment to support social enterprises in addressing persistent labour market disadvantage.The government plans to collaborate with the social enterprise sector, building on existing initiatives like the Outcomes Fund and the Social Enterprise Development Initiative.

Paving the way for an inclusive and equitable Australia

The 'Working Future' White Paper is a historic document that signals a significant shift in the Australian Federal Government's approach to building a more inclusive workforce. By explicitly backing the social enterprise sector, the government is acknowledging the power of the social enterprise model to create jobs for those usually shut out of work.

“We are on a mission at Social Traders to make social enterprise business as usual. We’re advocating for businesses to buy from social enterprise, government to create supportive social procurement policy, and government, investors and philanthropy to back the sector’s growth."- Tara Anderson, CEO, Social Traders

"It is an exciting time for the social enterprise sector. The road ahead is promising, and with support from Federal Government, we’re on our way to creating a more inclusive and equitable Australia."