History

Co-operatives Australia is the national body for State Co-operative Federations. It is an unincorporated body with membership by the State Co-operative Federations of New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and Victoria.

In co-operative advocacy Co-operatives Australia will be apolitical, will not take sides between Federations and co-operatives and while advocating the co-operative option will not become involved in detailed industry specific or social issues unless requested by any industry specific members.

In 1944 the Co-operative Federation of Australia was formed.

In 1993 a National Co-operatives Council was formed and in 1995 it was decided to establish the Co-operatives Council of Australia and in subsequent years the Council lobbied against and defeated legislation in the Australian Senate to remove a tax concession for co-operatives, supported the establishment of the Australian Centre for Co-operative Research and Development (ACCORD) in New South Wales and supported  progress towards nationally consistent co-operaqtive legislation.

The first meeting of Co-operatives Australia was held on 5 August 1993 in Adelaide, South Australia. It was then known as the National Co-operatives Council. Its formation followed the National Co-operative Congress in May 1993 in Sydney, New South Wales. The inaugural attendees at the Council were Don Kinnersley and Jordan Rigby (NSW), David Osgood and Malcolm Drew (SA), Tony Gill (Victoria), Frank O'Connor (WA), Jim McCall (ACDL), Tim Dyce (Asia Pacific) and Garry Cronan (NSW Registry).