Victoria launches new social enterprise strategy
5 October 2021 at 3:44 pm
The Victorian government has laid out a four-year road map for how it plans to strengthen and support the state’s thriving social enterprise sector
Victoria’s new social enterprise strategy launched this week, setting a road map for the sector for the next four years.
It lays out an ambitious agenda to support and enable Victoria’s thriving social enterprise sector, building on the foundation laid by the state’s first social enterprise strategy, which launched in 2017 in an Australian first.
The new strategy paid tribute to the progress that has been made since the first strategy.
It highlighted a number of achievements including the establishment of the Social Enterprise Network Victoria (SENVIC), a key initiative under the first strategy, and the whole-of-government Social Procurement Framework, which launched in April 2018.
While this new strategy looks back at just how much the sector has grown over the last four years, it also focuses on how the Victorian government aim to support and drive social enterprises forward between now and 2025.
With four key themes, and 14 action points, the state government says it is committed to partner with the sector to create even greater inclusive employment opportunities and deliver economic and social value to the Victorian community.
The Victorian Social Enterprise Strategy 2021-2025 has been praised by the sector, which welcomed the government’s recognition of the role that social enterprises play in tackling complex issues.
In her introduction to the strategy, Jaala Pulford, minister for employment and small business, said that Victoria’s social enterprise sector was the largest in Australia, with over 3,500 social enterprises employing around 60,000 people and generating $5.2 billion to the economy every year.
She said it was “vital that our progress does not stop here”.
“Which is why we are committing to a sustained focus on supporting social enterprises right across government,” Pulford said.
“By opening doors and embedding opportunities for the sector across our systems and processes, we will enable the sector to realise its full potential and do what it does best – create real impact.”
The strategy focused on four key themes, each with supporting action points: building business skills and capability and capturing impact; enhancing recognition and access to innovative financing to scale impact; fostering a connected and innovative social enterprise ecosystem across Victoria; and opening doors for social enterprises across government.
The state government says it is committed to partner with the sector to create even greater inclusive employment opportunities and deliver economic and social value to the Victorian community.
You can read the strategy here
