Sector consultations
Social Enterprise Australia governance survey
What we heard and next steps
September 2024
Since we launched, our accountability to the social enterprise sector has been done mostly through consultation. This has included co-designs with our subscribers, gathering stakeholder views, convening the Social Enterprise Peaks Group, and attending and convening other groups and networks.
In 2024 we ran a survey to inform the design of our future governance. Survey respondents were asked, among other things, who should be voting members and who should have a voice at Social Enterprise Australia. Participation was diverse; most of the 383 people who responded came from a social enterprise (71%).
This is to share what we heard through the survey, and next steps.
Stakeholder views
Social Enterprise Development Initiative
November 2023
Social Enterprise Australia was engaged by the Department of Social Services to gather stakeholder views to inform the design of the Social Enterprise Development Initiative (SEDI).
Stakeholder views were collected through two sets of workshops; one for capability-building grants and one for online education and mentoring. Follow-up surveys were designed to test agreement on key themes that the department heard in the workshops and wished to explore further.
Uluru Statement and the Voice
Sector discussion and published position
October 2023
Social Enterprise Australia hosted an open-invite conversation with Aboriginal social enterprise leaders Liandra Gaykamangu and Adrian Appo OAM about the Uluru Statement from the Heart and the Voice referendum. It was attended by 112 people from across our sector.
At the end of the session, we asked attendees three questions to help guide our work. 94% said they want Social Enterprise Australia to take a position on the referendum, 98% said that position should be Yes, and 100% said they want us to support the Uluru Statement from the Heart. We support Yes because change is needed, and how that change looks should be informed by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices.
Infrastructure for collaboration
The supports we need to do this together
July 2022
People across the social enterprise sector have mapped what we need from infrastructure to work together nationally.
The map is to support us to achieve our shared vision and purpose, and to live our values and principles; to recognise and value what already exists; and to be a thing that diverse people can get behind and build together. It will guide the work of Social Enterprise Australia.
A co-design to develop the map included input from a focus group on key questions which was developed into a draft map that was shared via open survey. Feedback was reviewed by the Social Enterprise National Strategy Advisory Council. To have mapped what we need from infrastructure to work together nationally is a big milestone.
Shared values and principles
How we will work together as a social enterprise sector
June 2022
A co-design process has develop shared values and principles for the Australian social enterprise sector: how we agree we will work together. These name common values and behaviours to strengthen the basis for ongoing cooperation.
The co-design included a focus group which explored a question then drafted values and principles, and feedback on the draft via an open survey. Most common feedback from survey respondents was support for the draft, the co-design process and sense of common ownership. To have named how we will work together as a sector is a big milestone.
Foundations for national strategy
A shared vision and purpose for the social enterprise sector
March 2022
People across the Australian social enterprise sector have been working together to develop a shared vision and purpose.
Developed for the sector by the sector, this names a direction and lays foundations for national strategy with four focus areas: environmental care, people-centred services, access to decent work, community-led innovation.
This was a learning process about shared and different wants for social enterprise in Australia and for how we work together as a sector. That it was built together by people across the sector is a big milestone. We are diverse - and people have strong and different ideas about particular things. We also share that we strive for a better world.