Brisbane Social Enterprise Tour: Connecting Purpose, People & Possibility

Jigsaw Social Enterprise Australia — Jigsaw General Manager Valerie Richards addresses the group.

Queensland’s Business for Good ecosystem continues to thrive, and the Brisbane Social Enterprise Bus Tour, held on 11 November, coordinated by Impact Boom and the Business for Good Network, was a vibrant showcase of this growth in action.

With generous support from the AMP Foundation and Westpac Foundation, the tour brought together an energetic mix of social entrepreneurs, changemakers, government, funders and supporters for a full day of learning, exploration, and inspiration across some of Brisbane’s leading purpose-driven organisations.

From QUT’s Foundry, She Shapes History, Australian Spatial Analytics, the Lovewell Café, Jigsaw, and The Salvo’s ‘Project Boomerang’, participants experienced firsthand the creativity and commitment driving social innovation in Queensland. Along the way, shared bus rides, a scavenger hunt and conversations sparked new relationships and ideas, highlighting how collaboration remains at the heart of building a stronger, more inclusive business-for-good community.

Queensland’s social enterprise movement is gaining momentum, but as the tour revealed, deepened collaboration across the business for good movement, learning, investment and defragmentation of the silos are essential to ensure that impact-led enterprises grow and thrive.

A warm welcome: QUT Foundry (Gardens Point)

We started off the day with mingling and morning tea at the QUT Foundry. A/Prof Glen Murphy welcomed us to the space which sits adjacent to the ACPNS and brings students, staff and alumni together to support entrepreneurial activity.

Tom Allen of Impact Boom welcomed the group of 70 people to the 16th Social Enterprise Tour in 9 years.

Over 1000 people have now engaged in the tours to gain an on-the-ground understanding of purpose-driven businesses around the nation.

She Shapes History Sita Sargeant — Sita Sargeant of She Shapes History addresses everyone at QUT Foundry.

Introductions & Intention

AMP Foundation has a very strong track record of backing organisations and initiatives that help people build better futures. Their Tomorrow Makers programs provide both funding and capacity-building support and AMP Foundation are actively contributing to building the business for good ecosystem.

Work Integrated Social Enterprise WISE — Chris Taylor of ASA shared his experience.

Westpac Foundation provides funding and capacity-building support to social enterprises creating jobs and training opportunities for people facing barriers to work, helping to create thriving, inclusive communities.

Their shared commitment to impact and inclusive growth set the tone for the tour - a day designed not just to showcase incredible initiatives, but to strengthen the ecosystem that makes them possible.

Kicking the day off: She Shapes History Scavenger Hunt

Splitting into teams, we begin the scavenger hunt throughout the CBD organised by Sita Sargeant of She Shapes History, an initiative focused on uplifting women and ensuring the historical impact of women is recognised widely. Each of the groups got to explore Brisbane City under a new context, while reading about and discussing the incredible women who have shaped the city as we know it.

As we searched for traces of these historical figures, we were able to take the time to reflect on how neglected these women were, with many lacking statues or plaques, while their male counterparts were commemorated clearly and openly for all to see.

Stop 1: Australian Spatial Analytics

After a flurry of conversation and connection on the bus ride over, we arrived at Australian Spatial Analytics (ASA), an enterprise dedicated to making the workforce not only accessible, but welcoming and comfortable to neurodivergent people.

We heard from CEO Geoffrey Smith who discusses the huge loss to the workforce that is excluding neurodivergent adults and how they’re working to create a comfortable workplace for all individuals.

Chris Taylor, a data analyst at ASA, talked about the difficulty he had navigating the workforce, and how different ASA felt. This sentiment was echoed by other employees, which we had the privilege of speaking to, who told us how ASA felt like a truly safe environment, one where they could relax and unmask.

Social Enterprise in Queensland — The Lovewell Cafe team.

Stop 2: The Lovewell Café (Mount Gravatt)

We boarded the bus again to the top of Mount Gravatt, where we were greeted by the beautiful views of the Lovewell Café. Run by Annie Stonehouse, the Lovewell Café works in tandem with the Lovewell Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation that supports women from vulnerable backgrounds to rebuild their lives.

Social Enterpreneurship Queensland — Verity Robertson of the Office of Social Impact, alongside panelists Nicola Stokes (AMP Foundation), Levi-Joel Tamou (Indigenous Futures Foundation), Allan English AM (English Family Foundation) and Tom Allen (Impact Boom).

We tucked into an incredible lunch provided by the café, and heard from a panel of guests, featuring Annie Stonehouse, Nicola Stokes (AMP Foundation), Levi Joel Tamou (Love Ya Corporate Catering), Verity Robertson (OSI), and Allen English (OSI).

Queensland Office of Social Impact Chair — Allan English AM sharing insights.

Queensland Social Enterprise Event — Lunch at Lovewell Cafe.

The panellists shared their reflections on working with integrity, striving for growth, and the state of funding in the social enterprise sector. They called to action funders, and how funding the “boring stuff”, as Annie described it, would be beneficial to ensure the sector continues to prosper. Levi-Joel described the importance of trust in relationships and how flexibility and longer-term investments from philanthropy could create stronger outcomes.

Indigenous Futures Foundation — Levi-Joel Tamou during the lunchtime panel.

Social Enterprise Brisbane Queensland — View of Brisbane at Lovewell Cafe.

Stop 3: Jigsaw (Mount Gravatt)

Boarding the bus once again, we travelled over to the TAFE campus, where Jigsaw, a social enterprise focused on training and transitioning people with disabilities into mainstream employment is located. After a warm welcome from Valerie Richards, we were lucky to get a tour of the workspace, guided by employees who could attest firsthand to the impact Jigsaw has had on their lives.

We saw a focus on developing soft skills, skills that are essential to the workplace but are rarely taught by employers. Jigsaw utilises a mentoring system, where trainees are guided throughout the day, and are given the opportunity to take on tasks to further develop their skillsets.

Circular Economy Hub Queensland — Meriel Chamberlin of The Salvos Boomerang Project.

Stop 4: Project Boomerang (The Salvation Army)

Our final stop was at The Salvation Army, where we heard from Meriel Chamberlin about Project Boomerang, a waste recycling system that’s the first of its kind globally. With the amount of textile intake the Salvation Army receives, a huge portion of that is unsellable, end of life clothing.

Project Boomerang aims to create a new avenue for this waste, transforming unusable clothes into feedstock.

This feedstock opens new doors for recycling and repurposing, transforming waste textile into acoustic panelling, yarn, and plastics. Meriel discussed how although this process won’t be able to repurpose every scrap of material, it’s a huge step in the right direction in combatting the effects of fast fashion and clothing waste.

Project Boomerang is in the final stages of setting up their facility and we’ll look forward to seeing their progress in this groundbreaking project.

The Salvos Boomerang Project Circular Economy Precinct — At The Salvos Boomerang Project.

Reflections & Thanks

Throughout the day, a clear theme emerged: while the challenges are real, whether it’s funding, sustainability, founder wellbeing or systems-level change, Brisbane’s social enterprise community is building trust and working towards a united, resilient, and relentlessly optimistic ecosystem.

As Ryan Ginard shared on LinkedIn, “There’s really no better way to connect with the impact of social enterprise than seeing it firsthand.”

Lucy Watson reflected, “What an inspiring showcase of purpose-driven enterprises making clear social and environmental impact… the tour was a powerful reminder of what can be achieved by having a collaborative ecosystem.”

We couldn't agree more.

Huge thanks to all our speakers, panellists, hosts, and participants for making the day such a success. And of course, our partners at AMP Foundation and Westpac Foundation for helping bring it all to life.