Brisbane Social Enterprise Tour: A Day of Impact, Insight & Inspiration

Queensland’s social enterprise ecosystem is gaining momentum—and the Brisbane Social Enterprise Bus Tour, held on Friday 28 March and coordinated by Impact Boom & Business for Good Network, offered an unforgettable day exploring just how vibrant and impactful the local sector has become.

With the support of AMP Foundation and Westpac Foundation, the tour brought together a lively group of purpose-driven leaders, changemakers and supporters for a powerful day of connection, discovery and inspiration across four standout social enterprise hubs.

This idea of connection and collaboration was embodied by the tour itself—bringing together a diverse crowd of like-minded people who spent the day not only hearing from inspiring speakers but also learning from each other along the way.

Queensland’s social enterprise ecosystem is growing, yet while the momentum is gaining, there remains significant work to be done.

Stop 1: Marhaba Café (City Hall)

Our day began with a warm welcome and an impressive morning tea spread at Marhaba Café, where we heard from Richard Warner of Nundah Community Enterprises Cooperative (NCEC). NCEC now employs 70 people who collectively work over 25,000 hours each year—many living with a disability or newly arrived in Australia.

Richard shared the meaningful story behind Marhaba’s name—“Marhaba” meaning “welcome” in Arabic—chosen to reflect the backgrounds of many of the café’s staff and the co-op’s commitment to genuine community participation.

We also learned that the Australian Red Cross operates a Night Café from the venue three nights a week, offering support to people at risk of or experiencing homelessness, with catering provided by Marhaba—a beautiful example of cross-sector collaboration.

Richard Warner of NCEC shared more about Marhaba Cafe.

On the Road: Introductions & Intention

As the group boarded the bus and settled in for the day, we heard from Tom Allen (Impact Boom), Lucy Watson (AMP Foundation), and Amy Lyden (Westpac Foundation), who each shared insights into their organisation’s commitment to supporting the social enterprise sector and what they hoped the group would take away from the day.

Lucy Watson, AMP Foundation shares insights with the tour group.

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 have actively contributed to building the social enterprise ecosystem.

Amy Lydon, CEO, Westpac Foundation addresses the group.

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.

Stop 2: Containers for Change and Substation33 (Kingston)

From there, we made our way firstly to Containers for Change, where Lachlan Turner provided us with insights into this enterprise. Participants got to experience the sights, smells and sounds of this facility.

Lachlan Turner of Substation33 explains more about Containers for Change.

We then went to Substation33’s brand new home in Kingston—two buzzing, side-by-side warehouses absolutely brimming with innovation and purpose. Both enterprises are part of YFS Logan, one of the first organisations providing this support across Logan.

Mayor Jon Raven of Logan City Council addresses the tour at Substation33.

The timing couldn’t have been better, with our visit coinciding with an official opening event attended by Logan Mayor Jon Raven. We toured eight dynamic stations, showcasing Substation33’s wide-ranging projects—from flood warning technology now in 170+ locations across Australia and New Zealand, to a solar-powered reverse vending machine developed in partnership with Containers for Change.

The Substation33 team provided a full warehouse tour.

At the heart of it all? Jobs. As founder Tony Sharp explained, Substation33 works on “cool projects with a real purpose”—creating meaningful employment and training opportunities for over 70 people facing barriers to work.

The group also heard from Sarai Tuuga of yourtown, a 25 year old organisation with a long history of providing support across Australia. Kris Spann of Queensland Government spoke about his reflections about Substation33, and Ian Frame of Youth Social Enterprise Trust discussed how YET is supporting youth.

Kris Spann, social procurement at Queensland Government addressed the tour.

Magnus Murray-Douglass, Amanda Shepherd, Emma-Kate Rose and Annette Gillespie shared insights on a panel at the Shed.

Stop 3: Food Connect Shed (Salisbury)

After a full morning, we arrived at Food Connect Shed for a well-earned lunch provided by the incredible team at Hope Street Café, who now operate part of their catering from the site. Hope Street Cafe are part of Micah Projects, an organisation actively tackling homelessness.

Robert Pekin of Food Connect Shed provided a tour.

Co-founders Robert Pekin and Emma-Kate Rose shared their 20-year journey building Food Connect, including the ups, downs and deep resilience needed to run a purpose-led enterprise that works to create an equitable and sustainable food system.

A powerful panel discussion followed, facilitated by Tom Allen and featuring Annette Gillespie (Hope Street Café), Amanda Shepherd (Green Fox Studio), Magnus Murray-Douglass (Boe Design) and Emma-Kate Rose (Food Connect).

The panelists shared candid reflections on challenges facing the sector—from structural funding barriers and burnout to legal complexities that lock out the very people social enterprises aim to uplift. The audience were left with no doubt, that leading and running social enterprises can be very tiring, with support needed to ensure we address founder wellbeing.

The Blind Boy Brewing team at Food Connect Shed.

We wrapped up with a quick tour of the shed, including visits to Blind Boy Brewing, where Jacob Viel shared his journey of brewing with vision impairment, and the Boe Design recycled plastics operation—two of the more than 25 social enterprises now based at the Shed.

Luke Terry of White Box Enterprises guides the group through Witton Barracks.

Stop 4: Witton Barracks (Indooroopilly)

Our final stop was steeped in history—Witton Barracks, once a WWII prisoner of war site, now reimagined by White Box Enterprises as a hub for social innovation.

We explored the site with Luke Terry and Gosia Terry, learning how offices—housed in former cells where Japanese secret codes were once cracked—are now home to pioneering social enterprises. With two venue spaces and a leafy quadrangle, the site is also a unique location for community events.

Luke shared his bold vision for how WISEs (Work Integrated Social Enterprises) and Payment by Outcomes models could transform Australia’s employment landscape. He also introduced the newly launched Social Enterprise Loan Fund (SELF)—an exciting move to unlock capital for enterprises doing good.

Ben Croft, Sally McGeoch and Peter Collins shared insights at Witton Barracks.

Final Panel: Growing the Ecosystem

Our last session featured a high-energy panel with Peter Collins (Cleanable), Sally McGeoch (Westpac Foundation) and Benjamin Croft (GoodPeople).

They explored themes of sector support, starting and sustaining for-purpose businesses, and how social procurement is helping drive growth, as well as Westpac Foundation’s support to grow the ecosystem.

Seeing the GoodPeople party bus in the flesh, which is used to host community events and build connection across Brisbane was a great way to end the day.

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 Sally McGeoch shared on LinkedIn, “The vibrancy, creativity and incredible impact of the QLD social enterprise community was on show today... Seeing the impact IRL makes such a difference for us all working in this sector and to building new connections!”

Lucy Watson added, “An inspiring showcase of local enterprises making a real social and environmental impact… 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.

The social enterprise movement in Brisbane continues to build—and with a values-led community, there’s nowhere to go but up… through working together across the sector and with partners in business and government.