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-operatives Australia

  • Spotlight on Co-operatives
    Co-operatives WA has welcomed the announcement by Innovation Minister Senator Kim Carr, of a Federal Government Innovation Australia Linkage Grant funding of $258,000 for its research partnership with the University of Western Australia Business School. The research program titled - Sustainable Co-operative Enterprise: An Investigation into the Factors Influencing the Sustainability and Competitiveness of Co-operative Enterprises, will be administered by UWA and overseen by a joint UWA.industry management group. Three of Western Australia's most important co-operatives are providing cash and in-kind support - Capricorn Society, Co-operative Bulk Handling Ltd and Ravensdown Fertiliser Co-operative Ltd. Read the Co-operatives WA media release.

  • Inaugural IYC Steering Committee Meeting
    The inaugural meeting of Australia's International Year of Co-operatives Steering Committee will be on the 21 July 2010. The meeting is hosted by Social Business Australia and will confirm the final composition of the IYC SC, a timeline for activities and the role and members of a Reference Group formed to advise the SC on specific aspects of planning for IYC.  Co-operatives Australia supports the establishment of the IYC SC. Co-operatives Australia has established an IYC page on its website http://www.australia.coop/ca/news/26-australiaandtheinternationalyearofcooperatives

  • CA Meeting 31 May 2010
    There will be a conference call meeting of Co-operatives Australia on 31 May 2010. Issues to be discussed during the call will include developments on the proposed Co-operatives National Law and  the International Year of Co-operatives in 2012

  • Planning for the International Year of Co-operatives
    On 13 May 2010 there was an important Australia-wide conference call on the International Year of Co-operatives in 2012. The conference call was hosted by Social Business Australia and facilitated by its Chairman, Trent Bartlett. The purpose was to seek support from the broader social business sector to celebrate the International Year of Co-operatives in 2012 - creating a reason to coalesce, creating a mindset change toward social business and set aspirational targets for achievements.  There were 17 participants  in the conference call - representing Barossa Community Store, Co-operatives Australia, Hepburn Wind, Macleay River Regional Co-operative, MECU, Plumbers'  Supplies Co-operative Limited, Social Business Australia, Social Traders, Sydney Credit Union, Tertiary Access Group Co-operatives Limited and West Belconnen Health Co-operative.

  • Mutuals After Turbulent Times
    APRAThe Chairman of the Australian Prudential Regulatory Authority, John F. Laker, address to the Abacus Australian Mutuals convention on the Gold Coast, Queensland, 9 November 2009  and praises how credit unions and building societies  have gone through the global financial crisis - no breach of prudential requirements, no force majeure, continuing to grow balance sheets and continuing to earn solid profits. In his address, Mr. Laker said: that mutual building societies and credit unions in Australia were characterised by an "ongoing strength of the simple business model of mutual authorised deposit-taking institutions (ADIs) - a model built on high standards of customer service, conservative lending standards in traditional markets and strong liquidity and capital buffers."