ABC News: Social enterprises want to be included in Australia's post-COVID-19 recovery ABC News: Social enterprises want to be included in Australia's post-COVID-19 recovery
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ABC News: Social enterprises want to be included in Australia’s post-COVID-19 recovery

ABC News: Social enterprises want to be included in Australia’s post-COVID-19 recovery

Read the full article here or listen here. Snippet below is pulled from the article.

Victorian approach ‘making a huge difference’

Ability Works is a social enterprise that has businesses in metal fabrication and repair, packaging, and logistics.

It employs people with a disability and those who are socially disadvantaged.

“We would like to see the Federal Government implementing a social procurement policy,” Ms Boyce said.

She believes the approach has worked in Victoria.

“It’s making a huge difference to behaviour change. It’s creating more jobs for people from disadvantaged backgrounds,” she said.

Someone hoping to benefit is Jared Rogers — a long-time employee at Ability Works who lives with an intellectual disability and autism.

During the pandemic, he took a virtual welding class and passed with flying colours.

“I like to try new things,” Mr Rogers said.

Now the 43-year-old is training in-person to weld temporary fencing for construction sites.

He hopes to complete his certificate this year and switch his focus to construction full time.

“[It would] probably be a good idea down the path,” Mr Rogers said.

Mr McKinstry said he believed the huge government COVID-19 recovery spending was a once-in-a-generation opportunity.

He will keep pushing the Federal Government to establish a hard target for procurement from social enterprises, saying that setting targets would mandate that action be followed through.

 

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