A new national research project led by the University of Melbourne will strengthen understanding of Australia’s social enterprise sector and improve the data infrastructure that underpins it.
Commissioned by the Australian Government Department of Social Services (DSS), the project is led by Professor Jo Barraket AM, Director of the Melbourne Social Equity Institute, and brings together researchers from the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economics and Social Research, the Dilin Duwa Centre for Indigenous Business Leadership, and Melbourne Business School’s Centre for Social Purpose Organisations.
Social enterprises are estimated to contribute more than $21 billion to the Australian economy. However, inconsistent definitions and fragmented data have made it difficult to fully understand the sector’s size, scope and impact.
The project will address this gap by building a more comprehensive dataset, integrating publicly available information with the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ Business Longitudinal Analysis Data Environment. It will also work closely with government and sector leaders to generate clearer insights into the characteristics and contributions of social enterprises.
The research will be delivered over six phases across the next 12 months.
