Winter warmers!
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Thoughts
Everyone has been talking about the budget announcements for the social sector.Last month, the Federal Treasurer, Jim Chalmers, announced a $200m package to help improve the cycle of disadvantage, stating "All of my adult life, one of the things that hasn't made a lot of sense is how a country like ours, which generates the most remarkable opportunities for people in the broad, needs to do a much better job of putting those opportunities within reach of more people."The package will be allocated to help improve services. It includes a new strategy to establish partnerships with philanthropists to allow the government to coordinate efforts, improve data collection and distribution focused on local decision making and place-based initiatives. The primary focus on the package will be intergenerational disadvantage and child and family wellbeing. Other announcements included:A new $100m outcomes fund between Federal and state governments and social enterprises will be established to deliver projects to tackle entrenched disadvantage, based on delivering agreed, measurable outcomes.$11.6m over 3 years for a Social Enterprise Development Initiative to provide grants, online education and mentoring to build capacity to access capital, better participate in social impact investment market and support improved social outcomes.
You can't please all of the people all of the time, but the Government has made it clear that by measuring what matters, it will be easier to shine a spotlight on, and address, disadvantage.
Inspiration from our members
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News and updates
Regulatory updates (the sometimes boring, but always important stuff)
More (lots more) on GreenwashingASIC released a report outlining its regulatory interventions into greenwashing made between 1 July 2022 and 31 March 2023. Whilst this report is aimed at the finance sector, there is a lot for the social sector to consider.The ACCC also released a summary of it's greenwashing enforcement following a recent internet sweep examining the sustainability claims of 247 business across eight sectors which found that 57 per cent of all businesses surveyed made potentially greenwashing claims.Meanwhile, overseas European Parliament backed draft legislation banning the use of general environmental claims like “environmentally friendly”, “natural”, “biodegradable”, “climate neutral” or “eco” if these do not come with detailed evidence. It also aims to ban environmental claims that are based solely on carbon offsetting schemes.Changes to the National Minimum WageThe Fair Work Commission has decided to increase the minimum wages in all modern awards by 5.75%. These increases will take effect from the first full pay period commencing on or after 1 July 2023.Other regulatory updatesNew flexible working arrangements became effective this week, and there is an increased focus on having governance and guidance around Artificial Intelligence and Chat GPT type tech. So we've shared some great articles we are looking at around these items.You can more on these items and other regulatory updates in our monthly regulatory updates and other updates posted on the Blog page (use the Regulatory Updates filter). We can't provide legal advice but you can find proposed and upcoming legislative changes to discuss with your legal advisers
Free upcoming Greatest Good events
Meanwhile, we heard your requests for more notice on our free marketing events, so we rescheduled the SEO session to late July and have added a Social Media Bootcamp event in August:
If they're not for you, we have plenty more events and courses on our Events/Course page to find help you find events that support the social and environmental issues you care about
Volunteer and Paid Roles
Looking to find a role with more meaning and purpose? Or just have some extra time to volunteer for a cause you care about?You can find a variety of paid and volunteer roles on the Volunteer/Work page. We update these roles at least weekly, so keep jumping on the Greatest Good ecosystem to find the role right for you.
Collaborations - asking for help and offering assistance
We have added some major awards to the Collaborate section of the ecosystem, which everyone has access to, so check these out as they include funding, in kind support and more...There are also some great opportunities to be involved in Neighbourhood Circle Nights as an event host or pop-up market, plus lots of free resources to help you do your greatest good....
We are a directory, community and marketplace that helps consumers to find, engage with and support social enterprises, B Corps, charities and other not-for-profit organisations.
UN adopts resolution on social and solidarity economy
The United Nations General Assembly agreed its first ever resolution on the social and solidarity economy. The resolution, adopted at an April meeting encourages member states (including Australia) and financial institutions to promote and support the work of social enterprises, cooperatives and others to achieve sustainable development.
Other News
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John Treadgold has released a Toolkit for Best-Practice Impact Measurement and Management to help those on the journey of measuring and managing their impact
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Social Enterprise Network Victoria (SENVIC) CEO Nick Verginis has resigned. The SENVIC Board, staff and local leads will take on his work
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Skye Bennett joined the Frankston Social Enterprise Hub as Project Manager of the Hub. You can join her on the free weekly co-working days every Friday
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The Social Enterprise Council of NSW & ACT (SECNA) held its augural Social Enterprise Festival In Sydney at the end of May with over 1,000 registered attendees
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Western Australia Social Enterprise Council (WASEC) is planning their own two- day event in Perth later this year
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An alliance of some of Australia’s largest philanthropic foundations has launched to grow impact investing in Australia, enable partnerships, and unlock its potential to help tackle social and environmental challenges.