Australian Social Enterprises

Northaven is a well respected employment and life skills provider service for people living with disability. We are an NDIS approved provider. Northaven was established in 1969 by local community members and families to create employment, training, life skills and social opportunities for people living with disabilities both within their own home, outside of home and within the wider community of Inverell and surrounding areas. Our mission is to improve the quality of life for people living with disability by offering paid employment opportunities, wherein individuals are trained through formal and on the job training in a work environment while building confidence and dignity, developing personal skills and earning respect in the wider community as an economic contributor to society. Northaven is committed to providing a safe, caring and non-discriminating work environment that allows for the delivery of a person-centered service to each individual. Northaven's life skills promotes and supports and individuals right to choice and control in participating in daily life skills, social and recreational activities both individually and as a group Northaven employees and staff care about the environment. We are working quietly in the background doing our part towards preserving the planet for future generations through our business operations of sorting and capturing as much recyclable product through its Material Recovery Facility (MRF) and security shredding before it enters the council landfill site. Through these practices Northaven aims to be an active participant in:Minimizing the environmental impact and emission of greenhouse gases omitted from the landfill site through reduction of recyclable product entering the landfill site. Increasing longevity of the site and reduces the financial and environmental burden to the local community and governmentContinuing to provide “real jobs” for people living with disability Northaven provides real paid employment and training ( accredited & non accredited) for individuals that supports their economic contribution to society. Northaven supports individuals choice and control in developing practical life skills and provide social, recreational and community participation of an individuals choice within their own lives and community

Bluegum specialises in broadacre grounds maintenance for industrial and commercial customers. Bluegum carries out a range of jobs including slasher mowing, brushcutting and tree planting. Bluegum is a certified social enterprise. We have over 20 years of experience providing reliable and high-quality services with an impeccable safety record and fantastic crew of supported employees. Our customers compliment us on our professionalism, safety and communication. Our supported employees tell us that working at Bluegum is like being part of a family and that it is everything they want in both a workplace and a job. Our supported employees earn awards-based wages and contribute to the running and safety of Bluegum grounds maintenance. We provide them with uniforms and social activities and offer to support them to try employment in other social enterprises or open employment.

OAK Tasmania operates businesses on five sites in Southern Tasmania that focus on providing meaningful employment to people with disability as well as producing quality products and services. . . These businesses range from horticulture to timber manufacturing, recycling, mail services and sewing. . . OAK has been recognised as an Employer of Choice in recognition that we offer 'a great place to work.' We provide personalised training and support that builds skills and confidence in the work place. As a Registered Training Organisation we offer a range of accredited courses. Employees are encouraged to undertake ongoing training and develop to their full potential.. . Our businesses have a strong sense of community, providing a network of friendships and a sense of belonging. Work is both fun and fulfilling. Employees have a sense of shared purpose in the knowledge that they are producing products and services that are needed and valued by the community.

OCC Enterprises (OCCE) is a Melbourne-based social enterprise providing meaningful employment for 100 people living with disability. Backed by specialised workplace supports and training programs, our social enterprises are renowned for delivering on quality, timelines and value. At OCC Enterprises we have an adaptable and dedicated work force which caters to large or small projects with quick turnaround times. We are:* a trusted and experienced organisation with 30+ years’ experience.* a Social Traders Certified Social Enterprise – eligible spend under the Victorian Government’s Social Procurement Framework* a registered NDIS provider Our services for social good:* The OC Eco T-Top Bollard* OC Eco Fleet Cleaning* Customised administration services* Speciality packing and light manufacturing OCCE provides individualised, meaningful and varied employment services to people with a disability. Employment with OCCE provides opportunities for skill development, aids confidence building, creates social networks and provides increased financial freedoms for people with a disability. OCCE prides itself on supporting our workforce to develop their skills and their careers in a supportive and inclusive environment. We individualise our employment services to meet specific needs and aspirations. We start by discussing a participants career goals and creating an individual employment plan to track their progress. We work hard to find the right employment fit for participants and to offer training opportunities along the way.

The Open Food Network is a social enterprise that builds resilient, values-based food systems through its software platform and other projects. It aims to support local food system transformation, improve food security, and promote regenerative farming practices. By doing so, it contributes to a more sustainable and equitable food industry.

Disability Services provider specialising in providing supported employment (ADE) accommodation, respite & life skills support to people living with a disability. Orana provides supported employment, training, housing, respite and life skills support to South Australians with disability. Our aim is to provide people with disability the chance to live and work as part of their community, as independently as possible. Working at Orana is not just a job for people with disability. It’s a great way to meet friends, learn new skills and be part of an organisation that support people with disability and their families. Orana offers a broad range of work opportunities to suit just about everyone's interest and skill level.

Queensland Social Enterprise Council (QSEC) is a peak body that supports and strengthens the social enterprise sector in Queensland. It works alongside social enterprises, government, and partners to drive social innovation, foster entrepreneurial ecosystems, and create lasting outcomes for Queensland communities.

Outlook Australia is a non-profit social enterprise committed to creating an inclusive society for all. Through two distinct but connected divisions - Social Enterprise and Community Services, Outlook creates opportunities for people with disability and people experiencing other forms of social disadvantage to develop work and life skills. Outlook Australia operates Australia's largest waste management social enterprise. Through the operation of recycling centre, transfer stations, landfills and reuse shops across Australia, Outlook creates opportunities for individuals and communities to thrive. Outlook social enterprise currently operates waste management and recycling centres across Queensland and Victoria, with supported employees and priority workers making up over 70% of the workforce. Outlook Community Centre is located in Pakenham, VIc and offers a wide range programs, workshops and educational opportunities for the community in addition to extensive room hire options. Outlook is also a registered NDIS provider, delivering 1:1 and group based services and supports including high quality high intensity support in Victoria and New South Wales. Outlook is committed to creating 'An Inclusive Society for All' by creating opportunities for people with disability and people experiencing other forms of social disadvantage to thrive in life and work. This is Outlook's fair pay commitment: All employees at Outlook Australia, including supported employees, are paid 100% of the rates outlined in the award or EBA that they are employed under - including supported employees. Supported employees are NOT paid an apportioned wage at Outlook.

Own Words is a research-led, skill-matching recruitment platform that helps job seekers create Digital Story Résumés using video, photos, and voice to showcase their real skills beyond traditional CVs. Its social purpose is to support marginalised and long-term unemployed individuals in gaining work by connecting them with employers seeking an inclusive and skills-based hiring process.

Ozanam Industries is a Special Work of the St Vincent de Paul Society NSW (Vinnies), employing over 100 Australians with disability at our three Work Centres in Stanmore, West Ryde and Coonamble. We have over 40 years’ experience providing a professional, customer focused service to some of Australia’s most respected companies, State Government departments and community groups. We provide cost effective, reliable and on-time services for our clients. We can provide a range of services from Promotional Packaging, Commercial Cleaning, Digital scanning & storage, Labelling, Mail-outs, Shrink-wrapping, to providing a commercial laundry & courier service, and sewing promotional tote bags in Regional NSW. We pride ourselves on our work being accurate and high quality, no matter the deadline we are given. We promote inclusion and diversity within the local communities.We provide linkages for our employees to access other service providers , community activities and groups of interest. We maintain a strong footprint in Regional communities through our Vinnies stores, Vinnies financial support programs and our Australian Disability Enterprises where employment opportunities and supports are sometimes limited. We provide meaningful, employment and training to over 100 persons with disability in Sydney metro and Regional NSW.We harness the individual capabilities of each employee in a safe, supportive environment that offers development opportunities. Our priority is to ensure that each employee has the opportunity to develop to their full potential as a member of the Australian workforce. This also gives the employees a sense of worth as well as self-confidence, which enables them to become active and involved members of their communities. Ozanam Industries benefit supported employees and their families by:• Providing genuine pathways to open employment • Helping to identify career and skill development options• Provision of accredited training and on the job work skills• Equipping people with the confidence to actively participate• Providing a range of employment opportunities through the diversity of our contracts and partners • Wrap around support services• Evidence based support model• Quality purpose built workplaces

Pinnacle provides day program activities, supported employment and respite options in and around Ararat and Stawell. Our disability enterprises provide a wide variety of work such as laundry and linen services, nursery and gift ware retail, garden maintenance, logo branding and embroidery, gift ware printing, club and sports uniforms and commercial contracts. The Supported Employment Enterprises employ people with a disability. The income they receive provides a degree of financial independence, reducing the reliance on government subsidies.Pinnacle is a significant jobs provider, employing 220 full-time, part-time and casual employees equating to 77 EFT, making us one of the largest non-government employers in the Stawell-Ararat region.The enterprises also fill gaps in local business services providing greater purchasing choice for customers. We assist people with a disability to increase their skills and self-esteem by providing opportunities for training, employment and community access/inclusion. The service provides life and leisure experiences. These acquired daily living skills and independence can be transferred to home settings increasing their contribution to the household running. Attending the programs provides an important preoccupation, decreasing the supervisory demands on families.The Supported Employment Enterprises employ people with a disability who enjoy the same working conditions as those in the general workforce. The income received provides a degree of financial independence, reducing the reliance on family supports.

SASEC provides policies, research and publications supporting social enterprise development in Australia. Through its resource library and the Social Entrepreneurship Evidence Space (SEES) platform, it offers research, industry reports and policy guidance to strengthen the social enterprise sector.

PonyUp for Good is a Social Traders certified social enterprise that collects decommissioned technology from companies, securely data erases and refurbishes it for resale, with 50% of profits donated to SecondBite for food relief. The enterprise addresses e-waste environmental concerns while supporting food security for vulnerable Australians.

QSEC Stories is a platform by the Queensland Social Enterprise Council that showcases and celebrates diverse social enterprises across Queensland. It highlights impact-driven businesses addressing social, environmental, and community challenges across multiple sectors.

Queensland Remote Aboriginal Media Aboriginal Corporation is an Indigenous organisation focused on providing media services to remote Aboriginal communities across Queensland. Its primary social impact is likely to empower these communities by facilitating communication, preserving culture, and disseminating relevant information.

Redrawn Pty Ltd is an Australian engineering design and drafting consultancy that operates as a social enterprise. It aims to increase diversity and inclusion in the engineering sector by hiring and training individuals from minority and under-represented groups, while delivering multi-discipline engineering services to clients.

Offering job security to blind and vision impaired Australians since 1884, RSB Industrial Services can provide your organisation with efficient, cost effective and high-quality Assembly and Packaging, Food Packaging and Plastic Thermoforming solutions.With safety and quality a prime consideration, RSB Industrial Services retains the highest levels of accreditation with ISO9001 Quality Assurance and HACCP (Hazardous Analysis Critical Control Points) Certification. Passing annual audits of procedures, records, performance and standards serve to guarantee the provision of first-class service. Incorporating a clean room facility, no job is too big or small to produce on time and to your complete satisfaction.To discuss how outsourcing to RSB Industrial Services could benefit your business, call (08) 8417 5600. Offering job security to blind and vision impaired Australians since 1884, RSB Industrial Services can provide your organisation with efficient, cost effective and high-quality Assembly and Packaging, Food Packaging and Plastic Thermoforming solutions.

Saltwater People is an Indigenous-owned creative agency based in Queensland's tropical north, delivering strategic design communications and cross-cultural engagement services. Founded in 2018, they connect artists and creatives with organisations seeking meaningful impact, creating diverse teams that deliver shared value for First Nations communities.

SASEC (South Australian Social Enterprise Centre) is a supporting organization for social enterprises in South Australia. The organization appears to be a hub that connects and supports social entrepreneurs and enterprises working across various social impact areas. Based on its founding board members' expertise in social entrepreneurship, employment for disadvantaged populations, and community development, SASEC likely provides capacity building, networking, and advocacy for the social enterprise sector in SA.

SDG Align provides digital and AI-enabled tools to help businesses and councils measure their sustainability impact, identify priorities, and take practical steps aligned with ESG frameworks and UN SDGs. Its social impact lies in enabling real progress towards a low-carbon, circular economy through everyday business decision-making.

SDG Align helps organisations turn sustainability into practical action. Through digital and AI-enabled tools, the platform supports businesses and councils to measure impact, identify priorities, and take meaningful steps aligned with ESG frameworks and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The focus is on enabling real progress toward a low-carbon, circular economy, grounded in everyday business decision-making.

SDG Align helps organisations turn sustainability into practical action. Through digital and AI-enabled tools, the platform supports businesses and councils to measure impact, identify priorities, and take meaningful steps aligned with ESG frameworks and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The focus is on enabling real progress toward a low-carbon, circular economy, grounded in everyday business decision-making.

Self Help Workplace employs 43 adults with a disability. The team work across five commercial business units:Prime Timber Production: manufacture of pine and hardwood products, including pallets, survey pegs, garden stakes, bins and boxes; docking, custom products for the wine and berry industryMerit Commercial Solutions: pick & pack, product assembly, mail outs, print finishing, security shredding, industry cleaning ragsEncore Clothing: second-hand clothing boutiquePlenty Catering & Hire: corporate catering, bus and room hireSpruce Grounds Maintenance: domestic, commercial and industrial yard work We provide high quality products services at competitive prices delivered in full and on time. We provide meaningful and productive employment so people with disability can enjoy independent lives. Their families appreciate that our team is valued and respected.

ShareTree Inc. is a Victorian-based certified social enterprise that improves mental health, wellbeing and performance in organisational cultures through science-based training, technology solutions and assessments. They serve individuals, government, corporates, schools and community organisations, with a focus on supporting charitable and not-for-profit organisations.

She Maps is an Australian social enterprise that promotes STEM education in schools through innovative drone-based learning programs. They focus on increasing STEM skills and confidence among groups traditionally under-represented in the STEM workforce, particularly through teacher training, curriculum resources, and hands-on drone activities.