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 Health

  • Girudala Health Centre
    The Girudala Community Co-operative Ltd has opened a medical centre in Bowen, south of Townsville, Queensland, which will operate as a GP clinic for Indigenous and non-Indigenous patients. The co-operative already provides health services at Collinsville and Proserpine. The co-oerative is a member of the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation which has 141 members - employing 2,500 full-time equivalent staff including 180 doctors and 230 nurses. The Aboriginal community health sector is the single greatest non-government employer of Aboriginal people in Australia.

  • USA Health Care Legislation and Co-ops
    The National Cooperative Business Association in the USA has issued a statement on the passage of Health Care Reform in the USA. The NCBA is concerned that the final bill contains provision for "Consumer Operated and Oriented Plan"?(CO-OP) - providing USA$6 billion to foster the creation of non=profit, member-run health insurance companies but that co-operatives are not the only entities that can qualify for funding. The program does not require that the entities be member-owned and controlled co-operatives recognised as such under relevant law. NCBA wants the program to change so that only member-owned co-operatives are formed.

  • West Belconnen Health Co-operative
    Australia has a new health co-operative - the West Belconnen Health Co-operative in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. The co-operative is open for business with its first doctor, medical director, nurse and reception team. The co-operative opened in December 2009. Work on the development and establishment of the co-operative began in 2004.? The patient users of the co-operative will be the owners of the co-operative.

  • USA Health Co-operative Proposal
    The USA?Senate Finance Committee Chairman, Max Baucus, has just released his proposal for meaningful health reform legislation. in a paper called Call to Action, the Senator calls for the establishment of health co-operatives.

  • Health Insurance Co-operatives in the USA
    Five health insurance co-operatives already exist in the USA - Group Health Cooperative of Washington, HealthPartners, Group Health Cooperative of Eau Claire, First Plan and Group Health Cooperative of Southern Wisconsin. They have a collective membership of over two million people.