Gai Brodtmann (Canberra, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I congratulate Cafe Ink for recently taking out the ACT Chief Minister’s award for social inclusion in the small business category. Cafe Ink is a social enterprise set up about six months ago by Woden Community Services to give labour market access to people battling disability, mental health issues and just plain bad luck. The cafe currently employs 10 people, who get not only a job but also training, certification and business skills. Cafe Ink is located in the Woden Library precinct. I thank the staff of the library for making the team so welcome.

The cafe is a social enterprise, so it runs to make a profit according to strict commercial principles and practices. That profit is then reinvested in the business or other social ventures. Cafe Ink is also a sustainable business. It sells fair-trade coffee, promotes reusable cups, uses recycled packaging and minimises food wastage. Wherever possible, it buys locally to support Canberra businesses and reduce its carbon footprint.

Congratulations to Chris Redmond, Matthew Gallagher and Emma Welter for coming up with the cafe concept, getting it up and running and making sure it provides a social service while still providing a social enterprise. Most importantly, congratulations to the 10 people who are working to make Cafe Ink a success in a highly competitive market.