Social Enterprise

Sydney's Workventures is a model of social enterprise.

The aftermath of the Olympic games was tough trading.

Several customers of our electronics and computer repair business did not renew their contracts due to a downturn in their turnover.

For the first time in over a decade we ran a deficit, but our strong reserves enabled us to make new investments in new markets and our enterprise is once again thriving and profitable.'

Does this sound like a typical company annual report? No way. Welcome to the new welfare state, and a snap shot summary of the yearly report of WorkVentures - a leading Australian social business, headquartered not far from Sydney's Central station.

WorkVentures, now a 19 million dollar a year business, began trading in 1979 as a church sponsored,community service agency. It's evolution runs parallel with the emergence of a new kind of poverty and joblessness in the 1990 and 2000s.

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