High levels of government interest have been focused on the role of social enterprise in creating sustainable economic and social regeneration.

A recent UK conference, Social Enterprise East Midlands: Value Lead, Market Driven - social enterprise solutions for economic inclusion shows the increasing recognition social enterprise is being given by government in that country. A copy of the conference program (in Acrobat format) can be seen at http://www.neweconomics.org/uploadstore/pubs/final_SEEM_brochure1.pdf

Importantly, the co-operative movement in the UK is playing a large role in the development and promotion of social enterprise to government. The high profile of UK co-operative leaders is evidence that the co-operative movement sees value in joining these increasingly important public policy debates.

The work of Social Enterprise London (SEL), an organization with a strong co-operative history further illustrates this point. Its forthcoming conference in March Social Enterprise: Building London's Social Economy again positions co-operatives and credit unions at the forefront of these social enterprise initiatives. Likewise the UK Coalition for Social Enterprise, which was launched in early 2001. Its membership includes bodies embracing the cooperative movement, credit unions and social investment funds to give a national voice to the "alternative" business sector, which combines profit seeking with social objectives. These developments sit alongside initiatives occurring within the UK co-operative movement, such as the Co-operatives Commission and New Mutuality designed to strengthen and modernise older structures.

In contrast the Australian social enterprise movement appears to be developing independently of the established co-operative movement, notwithstanding the contribution of some co-operatives identities. While there may be particular historical reasons for the lack of close association between the traditional co-operative sector and the newly developing social enterprise movement in Australia there may still be lessons to be learnt from the UK. There, a revitalised co-operative and mutual movement is not only strengthening existing structures but reaching out to form new partnerships for the future.