australia.coop Ministerial Advisory Committee on Co-operation

Formation

The Co-operative Federation of Victoria Ltd is committed to promoting the formation of new co-operatives and the following resources are designed to assist individuals and their communities in the process of forming new co-operatives: Australia has Co-operative Federations in the States of New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria and Western Australia.

Australian Co-operative Registries

Business Affairs Office (TAS)

Consumer and Business Affairs (VIC)

Corporate Affairs Commission (SA)

Department of Industries and Business (NT)

Office of Fair Trading (QLD)

Registry of Co-operatives (ACT)

Registry of Co-operatives (NSW)

Essential formation reading:

What is a co-operative? (PDF)

The Co-operative Formation Decision (HTM) or PDF

The Co-operative Formation Process (HTM)

The Co-operative Formation Check List (HTM)

The Co-operative Continuation Process (HTM)

The Co-operative Federation of Victoria Ltd has produced The Co-op Start-up Manual - an essential guide for starting co-operatives in Victoria. The Manual has been authored by Graeme Charles. Copyright is jointly held by the Co-operative Federation of Victoria Ltd and the Victorian Government Department of Natural Resources and Environment. Funding for the Manual was provided by the Victorian Government Department of Natural Resources and Environment.

Co-operative FAQ's - typical questions about co-operatives and co-operation

Before starting a co-operative it is important to understand why form a co-operative:

Why form a co-operative?

It is also equally important to understand why co-operative fail:

Why do co-operatives fail? (PDF)

The Rules of co-operation are central to their character and operations. The rules of co-operatives are practical tools for intending and existing co-operatives in developing and changing their own Rules:

Co-operative Federation of Victoria Ltd
Hopetoun Community Hotel
North East Telecommunications Co-operative Ltd
SMARTimbers Co-operative Ltd
SouthEast Housing Co-operative Ltd
Urban Camp Co-operative

For relevant Victorian Government publications on co-operative legislation:

Consumer Affairs and Co-operatives

Co-operatives Act 1996 , cover co-operatives in Victoria. Consumer Affairs Victoria keeps a public register of co-operatives, authorises registration and enforces the Act.

A detailed guide about running a co-operative, Guide to Forming and Running a Co-operative . There are four types of rules that can be downlo0aded from the CAV web site:

Model Rules of a Non-Trading co-operative with shares (Government Guaranteed)

Model Rules of a Non-Trading co-operative with shares

Model Rules of a Non-Trading co-operative no shares

Model Rules of a Trading co-operative

Last updated: 21-Jan-2007

Co-operative Federation of Victoria Ltd, 71 Franciscan Avenue, Frankston, Victoria AUSTRALIA Telephone: 61 03 9785 6704
Email: cfv@australia.coop