For many single mothers around Australia, the path to financial independence is a rocky one, marked by unexpected hurdles and an often-exhausting battle through systemic barriers. Surviving and supporting a family to thrive is not easy on the Parenting Payment Single (PPS), which currently provides a maximum $998.20 per fortnight for parents caring for children under 14.
Global Sisters is on a mission to change that, with strong results flowing in from a three-year project aimed at helping solo mums on the PPS achieve financial independence through self-employment.
Backed with funding from PRF, the NSW Government and AMP Foundation, as well as corporate pro bono and low bono supporters, the Solo Mums Demonstration Project is showing how self employment can be a powerful, realistic pathway out of welfare dependence for single mothers facing some of the toughest barriers to economic participation.
A new model for women excluded from traditional employment
The goal is ambitious: support 300 solo mums to launch micro businesses, with at least 150 becoming self sufficient within three years. But the deeper aim is systemic, building an evidence base to inform welfare and employment services reform.
Two years into the project, Global Sisters founder and CEO Mandy Richards says the project is demonstrating what happens when women are given the right support at the right time.
“The results are clear – tailored support and removing systemic barriers works,” she says. “Many participants are hitting milestones ahead of schedule, showing what’s possible when women are set up to succeed.
“This project offers a blueprint for reform that could unlock opportunity for new job creation for tens of thousands of women across Australia. Women’s micro business is the backbone of our economy and is particularly powerful in helping women for whom mainstream employment is not a workable option – creating income, allowing them to pursue a passion and setting them on a path to economic security.”
The project focuses on working age Australian women receiving the PPS who are excluded from mainstream employment due to structural, social, and personal barriers. Many have experienced domestic and family violence, long term instability, or caring responsibilities that make traditional employment unworkable.
The program provides intensive, wrap around support across the full lifecycle of business development – from ideation and training to launch, growth, and long term sustainability. Sisters commit to a minimum of 15 hours per week on their business and receive coaching, tools, micro finance, and a community of peers who understand their lived experience.
Challenging assumptions about the path to independence
One of the most significant findings emerging from the project is the real timeline required for women to move from welfare to financial independence through self employment.
Government policy currently assumes that women can transition off income support within 7–9 months, but the lived reality of the Solo Mums tells a different story.
Eighty five percent of participants in the evaluation sample – almost 100 women – had to take extended breaks from their business, averaging five months. These pauses were not due to lack of motivation or effort. They were driven by external barriers: escalated violence post separation, the weaponisation of legal systems, housing instability, and the ongoing demands of single parenting.
Global Sisters Chief Operating Officer, Head of Impact and report author Heather Thomson says this insight is critical.
“The reality is vastly different for this cohort of women. We now know that an 18 month to three year timeline, with wrap around support, is what’s required for women to become self employed and move off welfare.”
Despite these challenges, the project’s outcomes are strong. By the end of Year 2, most milestones have been achieved or are on track. Some women have already reached outcomes ahead of schedule, demonstrating that self employment is not only viable but can be a faster, more empowering route to independence than traditional job seeking pathways.
Faith’s story: from survival to success
For many women, the project is not just about income. It’s about reclaiming agency, identity, and hope.
After surviving domestic violence and years of instability as a single mother of six, Faith Labaro reached a turning point. She wanted to rebuild her life on her own terms and show her children what was possible.
Through Sister School, Faith gained the knowledge and confidence she needed to launch a botanical oils range, Nourish Oils.
“I had the idea, and they gave me the structure on how to run a proper business, Faith says. “My experience with Global Sisters has been nothing but amazing.”
Faith successfully launched her business and began making her first sales. With each step, her belief in herself and the impact she could have grew stronger.
“I can already see good results from what I’m doing with the business,” she says. “I want Nourish Oils to be a household product, I want every woman to experience my products. But my real business is to have an impact. I wanted to create a product that reminds women you can recover, you can move on, you can change your world.”
Global Sisters will share this impact data as an evidence base for reform to the welfare and employment services systems to make self-employment a genuine option for women.
Read the report here, and contact Heather Thomson if you’d like to know more.
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