First up was the annual WADE celebration hosted by Workpower, one of the eight WADE’s, at the Rise in Maylands.
The event celebrated the WADE collective, made up of of eight Australian Disability Enterprises (ADE), achievement of $50 million in new business and the creation of over 2,500 valued jobs since 2012.
The event also saw the inaugural presentation of the WADE Social Procurement Awards. The Western Australia Police took out the Champions of Social Procurement award for their outstanding work in engaging six out of the eight organisations on various contracts.
Guest speaker, the Hon. Stephen Dawson MLC, Minister for Disability Services, presented the awards alongside Workpower CEO Lee Broomhall. Other notable guests included:
- the Shadow Minister for Housing and Disability Services, Hon Peter Charles Collier MLC
- City of Bayswater Mayor Dan Bull
- City of Stirling Mayor Mark Irwin
- Acting Commissioner for Equal Opportunity in WA Dr. John Byrne
- Department of Finance Director General, Jodi Cant
The celebration then shifted to the Business Expo, hosted by Department of Finance, to support the Australian Disability Enterprise (ADE) Initiative where the WADEs showcased their goods and services at exhibition booths, alongside the Department of Finance’s Social Procurement Initiatives team.
"The Department of Finance is committed to supporting the ADE sector in Western Australia with the State Government investing almost $44 million via contracting arrangements for goods and services," said Department of Finance Director General Jodi Cant.
The WADEs, Activ, Good Samaritan Industries (GSI), Goodwill Engineering, Intelife, Paraquad Industries, Shire of Manjimup, Westcare, and Workpower, are known for providing first-class quality products and services across a wide range of industries in WA.
"It was a great opportunity for attendees to understand the capabilities of the ADEs and build business relationships, which provides meaningful work for people with disability," said Department of Finance Principal Policy Officer Melanie Walters.
