Alongside our sector peers, White Box is working hard to ensure both state and federal levels of government increase their understanding and support for jobs-focused social enterprise.
At White Box, we firmly believe jobs-focused social enterprises should play a permanent role in Australia's employment services system.
Social enterprises are doing what others can’t – employing and retaining people with the complex barriers to work.
They are solving a problem governments have struggled with for decades. But despite their proven track record, these businesses receive no fixed or ongoing financial support to help with the additional 15-30% impact costs they incur.
We’re working hard to change this.
The current employment system works for some, but not all.
Every year, the federal government invests around $3 Billion in employment services, supporting ~900,000 people looking for work. The system works for some, but not everyone.
Just 11.7% of people supported through Workforce Australia Services are in a job for more than six months. The government’s target is just 15%. Disability Employment Services (now Inclusive Employment Australia) performs better at 37.3%. And jobs-focused social enterprise is sitting at 82%. That’s a gap we can’t ignore - and it’s one we should be talking about a lot more.
Building the evidence by doing.
We advocate for change by actively building the evidence to prove social enterprise should be better supported by government.
Through three major pilots with the federal government, we’re demonstrating how jobs-focused social enterprise can deliver better employment outcomes for people facing complex barriers to work, than existing government programs.
- The Payment by Outcomes Trial for social enterprises - a three-year trial currently underway with results showing social enterprises are 2.5x more likely to employ and retain people with complex barriers, compared to existing government employment programs.
- The Social Enterprise Loan Fund - Australia's first patient capital loan fund dedicated to jobs-focused social enterprises.
- Workfoundations Program – White Box has received a grant to act as an aggregator for this program. We are working with eight social enterprises and values-led employers to place ~50 people into work. In the background, we'll be building the data: tracking what works, what it costs, and how social enterprises are helping people out of long-term unemployment.
These initiatives don’t just support individuals, they’re designed to inform policy and seed the systems-change needed to embed social enterprise in Australia’s employment services.
The numbers for social enterprise stack up.
Through the PBO trial we know that people with complex barriers are 2.5x more likely to stay in a job in a social enterprise, compared to people with a similar experience, who are supported through the government’s employment programs.
Retention rates: Social Enterprise v DES
Dialling up our advocacy in 2026.
With employment services reform underway, this is a critical window. We are dialling up our work across multiple fronts in 2026 to further build the case for social enterprise to play a more permanent role in our employment services system.
- French Social Enterprise Tour: White Box will lead a delegation to France to learn from one of the most established social enterprise ecosystems in the world. The six-day discovery tour will provide rare, behind-the-scenes access to France's Social and Solidarity Economy (ESS) sector.
- Presence in Canberra: Our team will be spending more time in Canberra, engaging key decision makers to better understand the value of jobs-focused social enterprise. This includes collaborating with the sector peers to host targeted events and briefings.
- Building an army of WISE advocates: We'll be rolling out grassroots advocacy campaigns to build broader awareness, arming the sector with practical tools - including resources like A Job Can Change Anything to help tell a clearer, more compelling story about the current employment system and the role social enterprise can play in shaping what comes next.
Use your voice too.
If you’re running a jobs-focused social enterprise now is the time to get to know your local MP and help better educate them on how effective your employment model is. We’ve building a comms toolkit to help with your engagement. We’ll be sharing this with WISE practitioners in April 2026.
If you'd like to connect and work with us on our advocacy plans, please drop our team an email.