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

Co-operative Education

  • Co-operative Publications

    Co-operatives Australia has issued a number of important statements - Public Policy and Co-operatives (April 2009), Australia's Top 100 Co-operatives, Credit Unions and Mutuals (June 2009), Co-operative Education (March 2010) and Valuing Co-operation (April 2010). All these statements can be accessed at the Co-operatives Australia web site at http://www.australia.coop/ca/publications



  • The Co-operative Bumblebee

    Review of an important book by Ivano Barberini -How The Bumblebee Flies - Cooperation, Ethics and Development. Barberini was born in Modena, Italy, in 1939 and died on 6 May 2009. when he died he had been President of the International Cooperative Alliance since 2001. The book was published by Baldini Castoldi Dalai in 2009.



  • Co-op Advantage Director Kit

    The Co-opAdvantage Developing Directors of Co-operatives  Kit encapsulates the essence of co-operative education - anm understanding of and commitment to the co-operative advantage and how this must underpin education for co-operatives and co-operators. The publication explores the director's role and responsibilities, identifies essential and desirable knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviours.



  • Co-operative Management Advantage

    The January 2010 issue of the Co-operative Management Advantage newsletter (Vol 4 Issue 2) is now available. The newsletter is published for the Master of Management - Co-operatives and Credit Unions degree program which is a partnership between the Co-operative Management Education Co-operative and Saint Mary's University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.



  • The Co-op Start-Up Manual

    The Co-op Start Up Manual is an essential resource for all those interested in the formation of co-operatives. The Co-op Start Up Manual was written by Graeme Charles. Funding for the manual was provided by the Victorian Government's Department of Natural Resources and Environment in 2001.  The manual has been prepared for people and communities seeking information on forming a co-operative. It is relevant in 2010 as it was when originally published in 2001.  The manual includes a brief explanation on co-operation and co-operatives, provides a brief historical perspective and addresses three formation phases - before starting, getting started and after you start. There are also nine co-operative case studies.