News Feeds

Co-operative News

  • SouthEast Housing Co-operative Online
    The SouthEast Housing Co-operative, based in Dandenong, Victoria, has gone online. The co-operative is a leading rental housing co-operative with the mission statement of increasing and providing secure, affordable and environmentally sustainable long term community housing managed by and for low income people and deliver excellent services to improve the quality of housing of residents.
  • Social Enterprise in Australia
    Finding  Australia's Social Enterprise Sector - Final Report has been released by the FASES project - a joint initiative of Social Traders and the Australian Centre for Philanthropy and Non-Profit Studies, Queensland University of Technology. FASES is Finding Australia's Social Enterprise Sector.  You can download a summary report and for a full report. 
  • ICA's New Director-General
    The International Co-operative Alliance has named Charles Gould as its new Director-General - replacing Iain Macdonald who has served as Director-General for the past eight years. The ICA has 240 member organisations from 91 countries - representing nearly one billion individuals and providing more than 100 million jobs. For more about the ICA's new Director-General visit http://www.ica.coop
  • CBH Demutualisation Push
    A dissident group within the CBH Group is attempting to reduce the influence of growers on the board of the Western Australia co-operative. The board has rejected the group's proposal. Read more in WA Business News.
  • Co-operatives WA's Spotlight on Co-operatives
    Co-operatives WA has announced an important partnership with three of the State's largest co-operatives and the University of Western Australia - with funding from the Federal Government. The research program will study - Sustainable Cooperative Enterprise: An Investigation into the Factors Influencing the Sustainability and Competitiveness of Co-operative Enterprises. For more visit the Co-operatives Australia website.
  • National Community Housing Standards and Co-operatives
    The third edition of the National Community Housing Standards Manual (May 2010) has just been released in Australia - developed by JPX Consulting Pty Ltd and published by Housing NSW. This edition replaces the second edition published in 2003.  The third edition takes account of the seven international principles of co-operation adopted by the International Co-operative Alliance to guide the formation and management of co-operatives. The Manual reproduces the seven principles. The manual can be downloaded from the website of the Community Housing Federation of Australia.
  • Blue Mountains 30th
    The Blue Mountains Food Co-op Ltd in Katoomba, New South Wales,  is celebrating its 3oth birthday in 2010. The co-operative is Australia's largest organic food co-operative. The co-operative's website: www.bluemtnsfood.asn.au  The email address is: bmfoodcoop@exemail.com.au

About

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Co-operatives Victoria is the peak body for Victoria's co-operatives.

The mission of Co-operatives Victoria is: To develop and promote the co-operative movement as a means of satisfying the economic and social needs of people.

The objects are:

  • Help improve the performance of member co-operatives in the provision of services to their members.
  • Make representation to government on legislation and policies to facilitate the development of co-operatives.
  • Promote co-operatives to the public.
  • Facilitate and promote the formation of co-operatives.
  • Educate co-operative members and the community at large in co-operative principles and practices.
  • Facilitate co-operation between co-operatives.

The board of Co-operatives Victoria has six directors - including one independent director. There is one vacancy on the board. Directors serve a three year term. The Chairman Tony O'Shea was first appointed Chairman on 9 October 2002 and has been annually reappointed. The current board membership in alphabetical order is:

Dianne Batterham, Westgate Health Co-operative
J. Niel Black, The Demo Dairy Co-operative Ltd
David Dinning, Independent Director
Shirley Faram, SouthEast Housing Co-operative Ltd
Tony O'Shea, Avoca District Co-operative Ltd

The Secretary of Co-operatives Victoria is David Griffiths.

Co-operatives Victoria subscribes to the co-operative values and principles last adopted by the International Co-operative Alliance in 1995. These principles are derived from those which were established by the Rochdale Pioners in Toad Lane in 1844.