At a recent Chamber of Commerce and Industry WA (CCIWA) breakfast with Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers, the room was filled with some of Western Australia’s biggest business and investment leaders. The conversation focused on mega projects. Productivity. Markets. Investment confidence.
All important. All necessary.
But if we only measure our success in billions of dollars and tonnes of iron ore, we’re missing the most important story in WA – the people, jobs, and communities behind the numbers.
But when success is measured only in billions of dollars and tonnes of iron ore, something vital is lost. The real story of WA is not just the numbers. It’s the people. The jobs. The communities that create the value in the first place.
We talked about mega projects, productivity, markets, and investment confidence. All important. All necessary. But as I listened, I couldn’t help thinking: if we only measure our success in billions of dollars and tonnes of iron ore, we’re missing the most important story in WA – the people, jobs, and communities behind the numbers.
Because at the very same time, right across our State, a different kind of business is quietly getting on with the job of solving some of our toughest challenges – and the public is absolutely here for it.
These are our social enterprises: businesses that trade to make a profit and deliver measurable social and environmental impact. They create jobs for people who are usually last in line for opportunity. They reinvest back into local communities. They tackle issues like violence, housing insecurity, waste, and exclusion head-on, through work and enterprise.
And new data we’ve just released at the WASEC (WA Social Enterprise Council) shows West Australians don’t just support this – they expect it.
What West Australians Told Us
For Social Enterprise Day (20 November), WASEC commissioned new survey research to understand how people in WA feel about business and social impact. The results are incredibly clear:
- Around 85% of West Australians agree or strongly agree that businesses should do social good as well as make a profit.
- Seven in ten say they would choose a business that creates positive social impact, even if it costs a bit more.
- Almost 82% agree or strongly agree that it’s important what they buy is WA-based or supports local jobs and communities.
- Nearly nine in ten believe the WA Government should do more to support businesses that make a positive difference in their communities.
- Around 62% are strongly supportive of social enterprises that create jobs and training for people who face barriers to work – including people with disability, youth at risk, women leaving violence, and people leaving prison.
So while the national conversation often feels dominated by war, inflation, billionaire wealth, and political shouting matches, West Australians are actually telling us something very grounded and hopeful:
They want business to give back. They want local jobs. They want community benefit. And they want the government to back the businesses doing exactly that.
The Businesses Already Doing the Work
Across WA, social enterprises are proving that “business for good” is a serious business model. For example Mettle Women Inc., Loop Upcycling, Dismantle Inc., Reboot Australia, The Underground Collaborative and Kardan Construction (among others) are creating real jobs and real value for people who are usually last in line for opportunity – women leaving violence, migrants and refugees, justice-impacted individuals, young people at risk and Aboriginal apprentices. These are not side projects; they’re high-performing businesses delivering contracts, outcomes and community benefit.
Research from Swinburne University of Technology Sydney shows social enterprises are 33% more productive than the average SME because they invest in people – training, mentoring, and wraparound support. Every dollar invested generates multiple dollars in social and economic return. For a state grappling with labour shortages, cost-of-living pressures and deep inequality, this is exactly the kind of multiplier WA should be backing.
What’s Missing in WA?
So, what’s the problem? Right now in WA, social enterprises are doing incredible work – but they’re doing it despite the system, not because of it.
We don’t yet have the kind of coordinated State Government backing that other jurisdictions are starting to build – things like dedicated social enterprise funds (Queensland), tailored procurement targets (Victoria), and long-term programs that help social enterprises move from start-up to scale-up.
Even the Brits are onto it – UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has just launched an Office for the Impact Economy, doubling down on the idea that social and environmental outcomes belong right alongside economic ones.
At that breakfast with Jim Chalmers, I heard a lot about investment pipelines, major projects and market signals. All important. But I’d love to see the same focus given to the businesses that are building local resilience, local jobs, and local solutions – the ones reinvesting profits back into WA communities.
If we only measure “success” in terms of how attractive we are to capital, and how quickly we can green-light mega projects, we’re missing the bigger question:
How do we measure what gives back to WA?
That means looking at:
- The number of local jobs created for people who face disadvantage.
- The dollars reinvested into WA communities, not extracted from them.
- The reduction in waste, emissions, and social harm.
- The long-term savings to health, justice, and welfare systems when people are supported into meaningful work instead of written off.
Social enterprises are already delivering on all of this – but they’re doing it on tight margins, short-term funding, and a patchwork of support.
What We Need Next
If we want WA to lead on business for good (and we absolutely can), we need to move beyond one-off pilots and token gestures. Here’s the kicker: it costs extra to do good. Social enterprises fall through the cracks – they’re “too businessy” for community grants and “too expensive” for big government contracts because they actually invest in people, training and community outcomes… and keep jobs here in WA instead of shipping them offshore.
We need:
- Dedicated State Government investment in social enterprises, especially work-integrated social enterprises (WISEs) that create jobs for people facing barriers to work.
- Social procurement that actually flows, with clear, measurable targets for government agencies and large corporates to buy from social enterprises, not just “encouragement” buried in policy documents.
- Support for social enterprises across the growth journey – from early-stage founders to organisations ready to scale and take on bigger contracts.
- Better data and recognition so that social enterprises are seen as core economic actors, not just “nice community projects”.
The good news is that the public is already there. West Australians are telling us they are willing to back businesses that create social impact, even if it costs a bit more. They want local jobs and local benefit. They want their money to matter.
Now we need our systems – particularly our Government of Western Australia and major industry partners – to catch up.