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

Services

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Co-operatives Victoria services include Co-operative Advocacy, Co-operative Education, Co-operative Information and Co-operative Legislation.

Co-operative Advocacy

Co-operatives Victoria recently persuaded the Victorian Government to allow small co-operatives to seek exemption from audits and, therefore, generate considerable financial savings. Co-operatives Victoria was the first co-operative to take advantage of this exemption.

Co-operatives Victoria has also been actively campaigning for the co-operative model in the dairy industry. Recently, a submission was made to the Senate Economics Committee Inquiry into Liquidators and Administrators.

Co-operatives Victoria is an active participant in Co-operatives Australia - the national peak body for State Co-operative Federations. Co-operatives Australia has? issued?four statements on (a) Public Policy and Co-operatives, (b) Australia's Top Co-operatives, Credit Unions and Mutuals, (c) Co-operative Education and? (d) Valuing Mutuality. ?and has made a submission to the Australian Prime Minister on the co-operative option.

Co-operative Education

Co-operative education is the key that allows co-operatives to integrate co-operative values and principles with their business goals and practices - enabling co-operatives to examine the operating environment of their co-operative, how their co-operative works and how well it meets its co-operative aims and objectives.

Co-operatives Victoria introduced the UK Co-operative College to Australia commencing in 2005. Since then, the Co-operative College has provided Co-operative Identity Workshops in NSW, Victoria and WA. Victorian co-operatives that have participated include the Murray Goulburn Co-operative Co Ltd and the South East Housing Co-operative Ltd.

Co-operative Information

australia.coop went live in January 2003. The site was established to provide a portal for Australian co-operative news and views. It is the first country co-operative portal established throughout the world under the new Dot Coop top-level domain established in January 2002. In 2009 Co-operatives Australia agreed to take over responsibility for australia.coop and Co-operatives Victoria established the victoria.coop web site.

Co-operative Legislation

A new Cooperatives National Law is being proposed to creaqte a uniform system of governance for co-operatives across States and Territories. A submission was made to the inquiry.