Social Enterprise in Australia

1
Social Enterprise in Australia
Social Enterprise Partnerships
2
Overview
Social Enterprise in Australia

• The current scene
• Pre-history
• The field
• Three case studies
• Social enterprise development

Social Enterprise Partnerships
3
Definitions
Social Enterprise in Australia

• Social enterprise a market-based venture for a
  social purpose
• Social entrepreneurship the application of
  entrepreneurial vision and risk-taking skills for
  achievement of a social purpose

Social Enterprise Partnerships
4
The current scene
Social Enterprise in Australia

• Terminology the beginnings of consensus
• 1997 The rise of the social entrepreneur
• Networks The beginnings of a movement
• Development the beginnings of a support
  infrastructure
• Public profile weak
• Leadership yet to emerge

Social Enterprise Partnerships
5
Social Enterprise in Australia
Drivers for social enterprise

• The break-down of one size fits all/Fordism
• The era of individuality and choice
• Globalisation and the rise of localism
• The discovery of social capital and the limits to
  government
• The idea of partnerships across sectors

Social Enterprise Partnerships
6
Pre-history
Social Enterprise in Australia

• There is a continuous stream of social enterprise
  and social entrepreneurship throughout Australian
  history
• 1840s gt mutual aid tradition
• 1860s gt adult and worker education
• 1880s gt Catholic social thought
• 1880s gt intentional communities/community
  settlement
• 1890s gt local governance in service provision and
  financing

Social Enterprise Partnerships
7
Pre-history
Social Enterprise in Australia

• 1920sgt co-operatives
• 1940s gt Catholic mutual aid
• 1950s gt credit unions
• 1970s gt New Left ventures
• 1980s gt employment creation
• There is a continuous tension between welfare
  universalism and social enterprise

Social Enterprise Partnerships
8
The field
Social Enterprise in Australia

• Three types of social enterprise (market-based
  ventures for a social purposes)
• Supply specialization
• Demand aggregation
• Supply aggregation

Social Enterprise Partnerships
9
The field
Social Enterprise in Australia

• 1. Supply specialisation
• Ventures which aim to enable a particular group
  of people to participate in a market in a certain
  way to overcome a particular disadvantage
• Flat Bottle Company
• Nundah Co-operative Ice Cream

Social Enterprise Partnerships
10
The field
Social Enterprise in Australia

• 2. Demand aggregation
• Ventures which aim to enable a particular group
  of people to participate in a market (in a
  particular way) by aggregating their demand
• Credit union/Community Bank
• Community Telco
• South Kingsville Health Services Co-operative

Social Enterprise Partnerships
11
The field
Social Enterprise in Australia

• 3. Supply aggregation
• Ventures which aim to enable a particular group
  of people to participate in a market by
  aggregating supply.
• Indigenous art ventures
• Mates Maintenance Co-operative
• Crafts marketing ventures

Social Enterprise Partnerships
12
(No Transcript)
13
Social Enterprise in Australia
Points of tension

• Size big or small?
• Ventures which stand alone vs those which are
  hosted by a charity or institution
• Ventures set up to generate income for a charity
  are they social enterprises?

Social Enterprise Partnerships
14
Case studies in social enterprise and
entrepreneurship 1
Social Enterprise in Australia
Case studies in social enterprise and
entrepreneurship 1

• Social entrepreneurship the application of
  entrepreneurial vision and risk-taking skills for
  achievement of a social purpose
• Schools thinking entrepreneurially about a
  school as a social enterprise ie how to engage
  with communities and stakeholders in new ways,
  how to form partnerships which advance the
  schools core mission and strengthens its
  sustainability.

Social Enterprise Partnerships
15
Loganlea State High School

• Partnerships with 189 local businesses
• Onsite Child Youth Mental Health
• Onsite Bridges Reconnect Family Support
• Southern Queensland Transport transport
  training
• Logan TAFE
• Logan Hospital
• Loganlea Community Centre
• Logan Youth Interagency Network
• Boystown
• HELP Industries Horticulture Centre

16
Loganlea Projects

• Rural Horizons cross-curricular student run
  business
• Community Playgroup student operated
• Clubbing Project building social capacity in
  the community, student engagement
• Community Computer Club open enrolment for all
  ages, student run
• Hatch A Chick student run support network for
  girls
• Blue Room Restaurant commercial restaurant
  with student participation
• Home Schooling for Pregnant and Parenting
  students
• After School access for working youth
• Fathers Day Fireworks and Talent Quest night
• Science Fair annual community fair, student run
• Homework Centre

17
Case studies in social enterprise and
entrepreneurship 2
Social Enterprise in Australia
Case studies in social enterprise and
entrepreneurship 2

• Health thinking entrepreneurially about health
  care as a social enterprise ie how to engage with
  communities and service providers in new ways,
  how to form partnerships which keep people
  healthy and out of hospitals and surgeries.

Social Enterprise Partnerships
18
South Kingsville Health Services Co-operative Ltd

• Began in 1980
• 8,000 members, 6,000 non-members
• Two medical clinics, one dental clinic, allied
  health services
• Services to members and non-members
• Aims to practice preventative health care
• Partnerships with communities
• Would like to cash out Medicare and PBS on
  behalf of its members

19
Case studies in social enterprise and
entrepreneurship 3
Social Enterprise in Australia

• Disability and parents thinking
  entrepreneurially about choice and organisation
  of disability services as a social enterprise ie
  how to engage with service providers in new ways,
  how to form partnerships which advance the
  capacity of the individual and the family and
  strengthens sustainability.

Social Enterprise Partnerships
20
Person by Person

• Began in 1999
• Clusters of 6-10 families
• Families select and employ support facilitators
  for their children
• Families select a fund holder to administer funds
  and employ staff on the families behalf
• Aims to practice self-reliance and
  self-development of capacity
• Partnerships with communities

21
Social enterprise development
Social Enterprise in Australia

• Historically - unplanned and spontaneous
• Little co-ordination and development
• Two models Vertical and Horizontal

Social Enterprise Partnerships
22
Social enterprise development
Social Enterprise in Australia

• Vertical model
• Links individual social entrepreneurs and
  enterprises with suppliers of expertise,
  mentoring and resources in mature settings,
  usually in corporate or philanthropic settings to
  assist the infant venture
• Substantial development in the past three years

Social Enterprise Partnerships
23
Social enterprise development
Social Enterprise in Australia

• Horizontal model
• Links social entrepreneurs and enterprises as
  peers through shared information, learning, and
  common business platforms.
• Shared infrastructure and business inputs
• Group purchasing and marketing
• Co-location and clustering

Social Enterprise Partnerships
24
Social Enterprise in Australia
Social enterprise development

• Both models are needed.
• Vertical Model is becoming well-developed, partly
  because its emphasis on the mature makes it
  attractive to corporate, philanthropic and
  government partners.
• Horizontal Model is still undeveloped, yet is
  critically important for the long term growth and
  sustainability of social enterprise and
  collaborative business activity.

Social Enterprise Partnerships
25
Social Enterprise Partnerships
Social Enterprise in Australia

• Social enterprise practitioners as peers, working
  to share information and collaborate on common
  projects
• Online Forums for networking by sector and by
  place
• Sector Resource Recovery, Schools, Cafes and
  Catering, Health Care.
• Place WA, Queensland

Social Enterprise Partnerships
26
Social Enterprise in Australia
Social Enterprise Partnerships

• Website www.partnerships.org.au

Social Enterprise Partnerships
27
The End
28
2 Elm StreetNorth Melbourne 3051www.
partnerships.org.auPhone (03) 9326
4481 vern_at_partnerships.org.au
Vern Hughes Executive Director
Social Enterprise Partnerships