Government
Advocacy
Jobs-focused social enterprises should play a permanent role in Australia’s employment services system.
Advocating through action
Alongside our peers, we’re working hard to keep jobs-focused social enterprise front of mind at both state and federal levels of government.
At White Box, we 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 impact costs they incur.
We’re working hard to change this.
Social enterprise should be a permanent part of solution.
Every year, the federal government invests around $3 Billion in employment services, supporting roughly 900,000 people looking for work.
The system works for some, but not everyone.
People who’ve been out of work long-term or those who face complex barriers often fall through the cracks.
They need time, trust and the right support to thrive.
That’s where jobs-focused social enterprises come in. 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.
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.
1
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.
2
The Social Enterprise Loan Fund
Australia’s first patient capital loan fund dedicated to jobs-focused social enterprises.
3
Evolve Disability Transformation
Using social enterprise best-practice to transform Disability Enterprises into more inclusive workplaces, while helping others to explore new business opportunities to create more job opportunities for people with intellectual disability.
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.
TOOLS + MATERIALS TO SUPPORT WISE ADVOCACY
Our latest submissions and materials to support advocacy for WISEs:
Getting under the hood of the French employment system.
France provides the most compelling international model for what a mature, government-supported WISE system can achieve. At any one time, 160K+ people with complex barriers are transitioning through 4,500 WISEs. 60%+ of WISE participants transition into mainstream employment or further education within two years.
In August 2026, we released a compelling report that draws on more than two years of research and engagement with French government agencies, national social enterprise organisations and employment experts, including two research visits and a study tour led by Whitebox for Australian philanthropy and jobs-focused social enterprise leaders.
The report provides a comprehensive picture of how the French system works, as well as a practical framework for understanding how WISEs can be embedded within a national employment system.
It explains the role WISEs play alongside government and mainstream employment services, how they are funded and regulated, and how different parts of the system work together to support people facing barriers to employment.
Whitebox engaged extensively with Groupe SOS – the largest social enterprise group in Europe today. This included meeting with founding CEO Jean-Marc Borello (pictured) in Paris during the French study tour in May 2026, and welcoming Executive Director Frédéric Bailly to the 2025 Social Enterprises Job Summit, co-hosted by Whitebox and Social Enterprise Australia. Groupe SOS employs over 25K employees, generates over €2.5B of annual revenue, and supports ~2M beneficiaries each year.
We stay connected to the sector
Beyond our own evidence building, we’re active contributors to sector research, and stay connected with our peers through various committees, events and collaborations.
