New Business Council will promote Australian co-operatives and mutuals

​Australian co-operatives and mutuals have formed a national business council to promote the enterprise model and boost co-operative development. The council also aims to lead in terms of co-operative research, education and advocacy.

Andrew Crane, Chief Executive of CBH Group and Chair of Business Council of Co-operatives and Mutuals (BCCM), said: “The recent formation of the Business Council of Co-operatives and Mutuals is a major legacy outcome of IYC 2012 in Australia, and demonstrates how far we travelled in a relatively short time.

“I do feel there's a real sense of purpose in the sector and the confidence that we can act on that momentum and I think that came out of the IYC. This is the sixth co-operative principle in action - co-operation amongst co-operatives.”

Mr Crane said the International Year helped the movement to reflect on what it needed to do as a ‘team’. “In 2012 we were fortunate to run a campaign that saw co-operatives and mutuals achieve some high points and these only happened because we worked co-operatively. We had a major launch of the IYC in our nation's capital at Australian Parliament House, with senior government ministers and the launch of the Australian IYC 2012 Commemorative Coin at the same time,” he said.

A national mapping report into the co-operative economy showed that 79 per cent of Australians are members of co-operative and mutually owned enterprises, but only 16 per cent of the population believe that they are. Furthermore, only three in ten people can name a co-operative or mutual.

This was a big “wake-up call” for the sector, said Mr Crane. “While confronting for the sector, this research was a major opportunity to say that as a group of businesses we need to redress this situation and we need to do it collectively. That's why we have formed the new Council — promotion of the co-operative business model is its primary objective.”

Some of the main goals of BCCM include assessing systemic impediments in terms of legal and regulatory framework and engaging with members as key stakeholders, as well as appealing to the next generation of members.

To achieve these objectives, BCCM is also taking into account the Blueprint for a Co-operative Decade, as part of its long-term strategic plan. “At this stage in our evolution as a national body and as a sector, identity is a key consideration. We are a diverse sector, but like a football team with many nationalities of players, we share a common goal and the desire to work together for mutual benefit. Our job right now is engendering that spirit of teamwork; we need to assume a strong focused identity and we need to be able to articulate how that differs from other forms of business,” added Mr Crane.

The Australian co-operative and mutual business sector includes 1,600 businesses with 13.5 million members.

Photo: John McInerney, Managing Director, Common Equity Housing Limited (CEHL); Tony Stuart, CEO, NRMA; Melina Morrison, CEO, Business Council of Co-operatives and Mutuals (BCCM); Damien Walsh, CEO, bankmecu; Peter Knock, CEO, The Co-op; Dr Andy Crane, CEO, Co-operative Bulk Handling (CBH) Group; Greg Wall, CEO, Capricorn Group.