WA Social Enterprise Council

04/09/2026

Got a great job going at your social enterprise? Paid or volunteer? We wanna know!

We know there are so many amazing roles out there helping to power up our sector, so if you're a member, and you're hiring, don't keep it a secret!

📧 Flick the deets to [email protected] and we'll do our best to give it a shoutout

Let's help good people find good jobs 🙌

30/08/2026

Sunday night good news 🌍

The social enterprise world's been busy....

☕ Over in the UK, Oxford's Tap Social opened their biggest venue yet, a multi-million dollar café/bar creating jobs for people rebuilding their lives after prison - 115,000+ hours of paid work so far!

🚀 Aussie trusts & foundations have quietly pumped ~$100m into catalytic capital over the past 3 years, backing enterprises that need it most.

📦 Dandenong's Social Engine is turning warehouse shifts, catering gigs and even a Grand Prix food van into real pathways to work for 70+ vulnerable young people this year.

🎬 And big time entrepreneur Mark Cuban's backing a brand new doco all about social enterprise, How to Change the World, dropping free on YouTube worldwide from Sept 10 - each episode following SE founders on their journey.

Good business, doing good things!

21/08/2026

And the night's overall winner - WA Social Enterprise of the Year went to....

Kardan Construction is an Aboriginal-owned construction company, co-founded in 2019 by Frank Mitchell and Dwayne Roland. They build apprenticeship and trade pathways for First Nations people and other under-represented workers, including a strong focus on getting women onto the tools in construction - an industry where female participation nationally sits below 5%, but Kardan has achieved three times the national average.

Since starting out of a shed (and sometimes Dwayne's kitchen table!), they've grown to create around 30 positions across apprenticeships, traineeships and upskilling roles, with many staff progressing into project management. They also partner with other social enterprises, such as our fellow members, Reboot Australia, assisting with employing people transitioning out of the justice system.

Words shared by co-founder Frank Mitchell (Pictures: Liang Xu) .xu_dp

18/08/2026

Huge congratulations to SOCO Realty - Buying Selling Renting Locally winners of the Above & Beyond (Organisation) award at last week's WA Social Enterprise Awards!

SOCO Realty is a boutique real estate agency managing residential and commercial property across WA - but they don't stop at business as usual.
They run landlord-funded gifting programs (in partnership with Mettle Women Inc.) to reward great tenants, and coordinate landlords who are in a position to offer below-market rent to families who need it most.

A brilliant example of what's possible when profit and purpose work hand in hand. Reach out to Ashleigh if you're a landlord in a position to offer below-market rent, or know someone who'd want to get involved.

Ashleigh is pictured here with Chuck Berger from Impact Seed (Pictures: Liang Xu) .xu_dp

16/08/2026

Congratulations to City of Greater Geraldton-based social enterprise, G-Force is The force for Geraldton and Tony Cooper for taking home the Regional Impact Award at the WA Social Enterprise Awards.

The self-funded social enterprise provides professional gardening services while employing people with disability on full award wages.

Since 2000, G-Force has helped people with disabilities re-enter the workforce, working under experienced supervision and earning full award wages, getting quality work done and investing in the community.

Get in touch with them at: https://www.gforcecontracting.com/

16/08/2026

Well done to our wonderful, well-deserving joint First Nations Social Enterprise awards winners, Blak Tapas Impact Group and Wyndham Collective Arts Hub.

Wyndham Collective Arts Hub are an Aboriginal-owned creative arts hub in the East Kimberley supporting local artists through workshops, exhibitions and skills development, with local creatives collaborating on culturally diverse and wearable art projects. https://lnkd.in/gsK-9Pi7
Susannah Wallman accepted on behalf of Bianca Long (wearing https://www.jarugirl.com/)

Blak Tapas Impact Group are an Indigenous-owned café in Kununurra serving bush foods, locally roasted coffee, grazing tables, platters and picnic boxes to the community and surrounds, creating local hospitality jobs and traineeships.
Find out more: https://blaktapas.com.au/

Temali is pictured here with Chuck Berger from Impact Seed (Pictures: Liang Xu) .xu_dp

15/08/2026

Congratulations to Anthony MacShane of Reboot Australia - winner of the Above and Beyond (Individual) Award at the WA Social Enterprise Awards!

Anthony has built Reboot from the ground up, creating employment pathways for ex-offenders and driving real, measurable reductions in recidivism across WA. A truly deserved win.

👨‍🏭 If you are an employer that wants to work with Reboot: reach out https://www.rebootaustralia.com/
👨‍🏭If you're a justice-affected individual looking for a job, check out their jobs board https://www.rebootaustralia.com/jobs
👨‍🏭 Be sure to follow them on LinkedIn -> Reboot Australia

Pictured here with Chuck Berger and Frank Mitchell (Pictures: Liang Xu)

15/08/2026

Huge congratulations to Sam's Spares (Sam's Spares) who took out Emerging Social Enterprise of the Year at Thursday night's WA Social Enterprise Awards The Westin Perth !

Sam's Spares refurbishes donated electronics to create real jobs for neurodivergent people, all while keeping tech out of landfill. What an incredible, well-deserved win. And what a well-said speech by co-founder Sam, too. 👏

Support your social enterprise sector - follow them, and engage them whenever there's the opportunity, donate goods, shop for goods, or make a donation:
https://samsspares.org/

11/08/2026

Great to see WA Indigenous-led social enterprises getting recognised for the real impact they're creating across WA.

Well worth a read on how business and community impact are increasingly moving together - thanks David Prestipino National Indigenous Times: https://nit.com.au/11-08-2026/25380/indigenous-businesses-creating-social-impact

"At this week's WA Social Enterprise Awards, nine Indigenous-owned organisations are among this year's 30 finalists, spanning everything from a native-botanical soft drink company funding youth employment (Prepare Produce Provide Org Kepa Kwab), to a Kununurra cafe creating hospitality traineeships (Blak Tapas Impact Group), to a Broome charity building independence through photography training (Camera Story) and more.

It's a strong signal of where the momentum is: WA's social enterprise sector now counts more than 1,000 businesses, and Aboriginal capital investment in the state has grown to between $4-6 billion."

An Aboriginal-owned construction company building trade pathways for First Nations workers has been recognised for its social impact across Western Australia.Key points:• 30 businesses are finali...

08/08/2026

....and we're down to the last category in our finalist countdown! Can you believe our Awards night is this week?! We're so excited.

The Above and Beyond Award (Individual) recognises an inspirational supporter or champion who goes the extra mile to enable growth and collaboration in WA's social enterprise sector. The nominees are...

Annie Hill - Nominated for going beyond her own business to back the wider sector, channelling The Hill Tribe Family Office's philanthropic investment into employment pathways and a new community hub in Malaga that brings diverse organisations together to collaborate.

Anthony MacShane - Nominated for founding and growing Reboot Australia from the ground up, building employment pathways for ex-offenders and demonstrating what's possible for social enterprises tackling recidivism in WA.

Sophie Chamberlain - Nominated for using her role at Spinifex Trust to unlock early-stage capital for WA social enterprises, backing ventures like ReNew Property Maintenance with low-cost debt so they could scale their impact rather than stall for lack of funding.

Adam Levin (posthumously) - Lawyer Adam Levin founded his own enterprise dedicated to philanthropy, channelling his expertise into a wide range of pro bono projects.

🏆 Four finalists, one trophy! But they're all already winners in our eyes.

See you on Thursday for the reveal!