Australian Centre Launches

The SA Government-funded Australian Centre for Social Innovation launches with a Social Innovation Challenge, a focus on design-thinking and an emphasis on collaboration to find creative solutions to tough social problems.

Check out the website.

Australasia’s first Social Innovation Camp is just a few months away. We’re very excited that our colleagues in Australia at ASIX  have brought the highly successful UK Si Camp concept downunder. We’re keen to support the camp from this side of the Tasman – both by putting up our own great ideas which use the web and technology to drive social change, and signing up to come along for a fun weekend in Sydney sharing our expertise in web development, design, communications and business development.

Kiwis will need to find their own way to Sydney, but it’s a terrific opportunity to meet like-minded Australians, build great networks, and do some good!

Visit the SI Camp website (http://asix.org.au/sicamp) for more information and to sign up.

Across the Tasman, Australian Federal and State Governments are pushing public sector and social innovation to the top of the agenda. Recent initiatives include:

• The Prime Minister’s recently-announced Advisory Group on the Reform of Australian Govt Administration looking to address the new challenges facing Australia in the 21st century, with public, private and academic leaders tasked with delivering a blueprint for reform by early 2010, led by the Department of Prime Minister & Cabinet
• The Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research leading a cross-government project to investigate how to advance innovation within and by the public sector
• The Productivity Commission’s recent report on the contribution of the not-for-profit sector with a chapter focusing on accelerating social innovation
• The Australian Centre for Social Innovation (TACSI), funded by a $6m commitment from the SA Government, is commencing operations with a stand-out Board and CEO.