Home » Our Journey So Far 

White Box turned five this year. We’ve achieved a lot with the support of like-minded partners and supporters.

Between 2019 and today, creating jobs for people who have been shut out from mainstream work has always been our focus.

Some moonshot ideas have landed, some haven’t. All of this has been made possible with the support of our valued partners and supporters. We’re incredibly proud of what we have achieved together… true-to-form though, our aspirations and goals are only getting bigger.

5,000 jobs by 2030 has been our target since inception. But as jobs-focused social enterprise becomes more than a buzz word in government and corporate sector circles, we’re optimistic we can help supercharge this movement around people-centred employment by lifting our gaze beyond our ego-centric work to also focus on more eco-centric work. More to come on this soon.

For now, scroll down to catch up on the White Box journey so far. 

Group pic of Beacon Laundry launch with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Bangalow, NSW.

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large-scale jobs focused social enterprises successfully launched

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900+

jobs enabled for people shut out from mainstream employment

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$51million

raised to support job creation projects by White Box and its social enterprises

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social enterprises in new properties or homes with our help

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jobs hubs created

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2770

delegates in attendance at SEWF22 - the largest social enterprise conversation in the world, hosted by us in 2022

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new jobs created through the first federal government Payment By Outcomes Trial for jobs focused social enterprises, run by White Box in partnership with Department of Social Enterprises

Our first five years

We’ve packed a lot into our first five years. Here’s a recap of our milestone moments.

  • June 2019White Box Enterprises launches


    White Box Enterprises (WBE) officially opens its doors thanks to the support of the Queensland Mental Health Commissioner, the Ian Potter Foundation, Paul Ramsay Foundation and Queensland Department of Employment, Small Business and Training.

  • December 2019 Hotel Housekeeping launches


    WBE launches its first social enterprise - Hotel Housekeeping – focused on providing hotel housekeeping services across Australia, while creating jobs and employment pathways for refugees and humanitarian entrants.

  • February 2020Payment By Outcomes Trial co-design underway

    WBE begins the co-design of the first social enterprise Payment by Outcomes (PBO) Trial with the Department of Social Services, which will see social enterprises paid for the jobs they create.

  • March 2020Mount Gravatt jobs hub opens


    WBE works with Queensland State Government to revamp the old Mt Gravatt TAFE site, creating a new space for Jigsaw Australia to expand into Queensland, and a home for Mantua Design Studio and Hotel Housekeeping.

  • June 2020Australian Spatial Analytics launches


    WBE launches its second social enterprise - Australian Spatial Analytics – a unique data services provider harnessing the exceptional talents of neurodiverse adults. By 2024, ASA will be one of the fastest growing social enterprises in Australia, employing more than 150 individuals, 80% of whom are neurodiverse.

  • September 2020July 2021 Property, Finance, and Advisory Services established

    WBE establishes dedicated property, advisory and finance divisions to help existing jobs-focused social enterprises to scale and grow. We move away from this model in 2023, centralising our operations.

  • November 2020North Quay jobs hub opens

    In collaboration with Charter Hall, WBE secures vacant office space in Brisbane to create a social enterprise jobs hub, which becomes home to its team, ASA, Murawin, Freddymatch and First Australians Capital.

  • January 2022First Nations team established in Cairns


    WBE First Nations team grows, with a greater presence in Far North Queensland to work alongside First Nations communities to support local job creation through First Nations-led businesses and social enterprise.

  • February 2022Sheetly launches


    WBE launches Sheetly, a great home-delivery laundry service and social enterprise employing overlooked Australians. Unfortunately, it isn’t to be and won’t get past the pilot stage.

  • February 2022Feraliser in development


    WBE partners with Kalan Enterprises for 18 months to help develop Feraliser, a unique First Nations business with a goal to create jobs in northern Australia by turning problematic feral pigs into organic fertiliser farmers can use for regenerative farming practices.

  • May 2022Braybrook social enterprise precinct opens


    WBE works with Green Collect and ReBuild to source and purchase a new site in Braybrook in collaboration with a small group of investors and the Victorian State Government.

  • July 2022The Payment By Outcomes Trial commences


    WBE commence the landmark $3.8M Payment By Outcomes trial in collaboration with Department of Social Services, 17 jobs-focused social enterprises, and three impact investors (Macquarie Group Foundation, Tripple and Hand Heart Pocket).

  • July 2022ASA expands into Melbourne


    WBE and ASA expand into Melbourne with temporary office space gifted by philanthropist Naomi Milgrom AC.

  • September 2022WBE co-hosts Social Enterprise World Forum


    WBE co-hosts the Social Enterprise World Forum in Brisbane. 2,700 changemakers join us from 93 countries to connect, learn and be inspired at SEWF22. Revisit the buzz with this video.

  • October 2022Seb Elsworth Roadshow


    WBE hosts a series of events with ACCESS CEO Seb Elsworth, a leading social innovator in the UK who transformed social impact finance in the UK.

  • November 2022ASA and WBE open office in Cairns


    ASA and WBE join forces to open an office in Cairns.

  • March 2023SELF raise commences


    WBE secures $1.5M from Westpac to support a new Sustainable Employment Loan Fund (SELF) specifically for jobs-focused social enterprise. We set a raise target of $5M with Westpac to commence the SELF.

  • April 2023$1.8M property acquisition helps CERES expand

    WBE works in close collaboration with CERES and a small group of impact investors to secure a $1.8M property in Brunswick East, in Melbourne, which enables CERES to pursue their plans for growth.

  • June 2023Civik launches


    WBE launches Civik in collaboration with Ventia. Civik is an infrastructure services social enterprise that aims to fulfill labour hire shortages in regional areas, while creating jobs for young people shut out from mainstream employment.

  • August 2023WBE releases first Taylor Fry report comparing social enterprises to Disability Employment Services


    WBE releases an independent report that shows long term unemployed individuals are more likely to start work sooner, earn more and stay longer, when employed by a social enterprise, compared to those supported through Disability Employment Services (DES).

  • September 2023Hotel Housekeeping rebrands to Civik People


    To diversify its reach and increase job opportunities for former refugees and new migrants, Hotel Housekeeping rebrands to Civik People.

  • November 2023PBO Trial exceeds expectations in its first year


    WBE releases its first-year independent evaluation of the PBO Trial in collaboration with Centre for Social Impact and Macquarie Group Foundation. 98% of trial participants say their lives are better now they’re working in a social enterprise.

  • November 2023WBE raises $12M for Beacon Laundry


    WBE raises $12M in philanthropy and impact investment to guarantee the opening of the social enterprise commercial laundry in Bangalow, in Northern NSW. Former JB Hi Fi CEO and philanthropist Richard Uechtritz is a key supporter and donor, alongside the Ian and Shirley Norman Foundation.

  • March 2024Financial Wellbeing Program delivering incredible returns


    The first-year evaluation of WBE’s financial wellbeing program created specifically for, and with, jobs-focused social enterprises shows the program is delivering incredible returns for social enterprise employees.

  • March 2024WBE to reimagine Witton Barracks


    Brisbane City Council grants WBE a five year lease to convert Witton Barracks, a refurbished historic WW2 site in Brisbane’s inner west, into a community and social enterprise hub.

  • April 2024Beacon Laundry officially opens


    PM Anthony Albanese official opens Beacon Laundry, WBE’s fourth successful social enterprise. ‘Beacon’, as it’s affectionately known, creates 70 new jobs for local people in the Northern NSW in its first six months, with 80% of these individuals previously shut out from work.

  • June 2024A second Beacon Laundry opens in Adelaide


    WBE opens a second Beacon Laundry in collaboration with Bedford Group. WBE and Bedford begin working together to transition the existing laundry which operates as a supported workplace, into a jobs-focused social enterprise

  • August 2024The Evolve Program commences

    WBE announces it will work with three Disability Enterprises (formerly known as ADEs) over the next two years to help them transition to jobs-focused social enterprises.

  • September 2024White Box celebrates its fifth anniversary

    White Box founder and CEO Luke Terry reflects on the lessons learnt and the things he wishes he’d known at the start.