Social Enterprise Forum

The Cairns Institute Research Fellow Dr Narayan Gopalkrishnan was one of the organisers of the Social Enterprise in Far North Queensland (FNQ) Forum held in Cairns, October last year. He said, “The idea behind social enterprises is that they function to address a social need. It’s an emerging sector and there are many more opportunities.”

Queensland Social Enterprise Council gave an overview of social and community enterprises and outlined available supports. Other presentations came from the Department of Employment, Small Business and Training, and from the Procurement Teams at James Cook University and the Cairns Regional Council. They explained procurement process and how to become preferred suppliers.

Part of the forum also focused on revitalizing social enterprise in FNQ and established social enterprises shared their stories.

One of the presentations came from Australian Spatial Analytics (ASA). They employ neurodiverse adults to conduct high-demand professionald ata services for coporations and governments. ASA was formed in March 2020 and by August 2022, they hired their 100th employee. ASA started in Brisbane and have expanded to include offices in Melbourne and now in Cairns.

Dr Gopalkrishnan explained that the Queensland Government has committed $8 million for the Social Enterprise Jobs Fund. which aims to assist community-based organisations to grow their existing social enterprise through grants.

For further information on Social Enterprises North Queensland, contact narayan.gopalkrishnan@jcu.edu.au