For media

The BCCM is the peak body for co-operatives and mutuals in Australia. We unite member-owned businesses operating in all industries to increase awareness and recognition of co-ops and mutuals and the important contribution they make to the economy and community.

For all media enquiries about the Business Council of Co-operatives and Mutuals and the co-operative and mutual sector in Australia, or for comment from our CEO Melina Morrison, please contact Sue Frost on 0409 718 572 and email sue.frost@plcorporate.com.au.

Get a snapshot of the co-operative and mutual sector in Australia and globally.

Read the BCCM’s latest National Mutual Economy report, our annual report on the size and contribution of the Australian co‑operative and mutual sector. It incorporates Australia’s Top 100 list of co-ops and mutuals. The BCCM has published the NME Report each year since 2014.

"We advocate for our members’ shared interests, contributing to informed and balanced public policy debate for a fairer, more prosperous and inclusive economy for all Australians."

– Melina Morrison, CEO, BCCM

About the CEO

Melina Morrison

CEO of Business Council of Co-operatives and Mutuals

Melina was the driving force behind the formation of the Business Council of Co-operatives and Mutuals (BCCM) in 2013 after heading Australia’s Secretariat for the International Year of Cooperatives. Melina has led the movement to historic achievements. Her campaign for access to capital resulted in new laws and more than A$470 million released into Australian co-operatives and mutuals since 2019.

Melina led the development of the Mutual Value Measurement Framework© to measure the value of co-operatives and mutuals. She has raised A$24.5 million in government funding for co-operatives in agriculture and care. Melina is leading a project to develop the first reporting framework for co-operatives for Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG). She is a director of Australian Mutuals Foundation which assists financial co-operatives in South-East Asia.

BCCM in the media

2026

Can we really avoid the supermarket giants?, ABC Radio National, 17 February 2026

Crisis-hit Australian football team considers fan-ownership, Co-op News, 12 February 2026

Australian co-op sector calls for support as government prepares budget, Co-op News, 10 February 2026

Could fans help secure the Mariners’ future?, Central Coast News, 3 February 2026

2025

2025 in review: Melina Morrison, Co-op News, 30 December 2025

Australia’s top 100 co-ops post $47.7bn in revenue, says apex report, Co-op News, 8 December 2025

Communities harness the people power of co-ops to stave off privatisation, ABC News, 8 December 2025

‘We’re an activist organisation, we’re a campaigning organisation’: What its like to lead one of the UK’s largest retailers, The Radio National Hour, ABC Radio, 23 October 2025

Queensland co-ops plan for growth under state’s social impact agenda, Co-op News, 18 September 2025

Australian co-ops apex calls for competition and regulation reform, Co-op News, 20 August 2025

Yenda Producers gala to share stage with national agricultural round-table (pay wall), The Area News, 7 July 2025

New energy powered by a centuries-old business model, The Energy, 4 July 2025

Victorian government support boosts co-op sector growth, MPA, 26 June 2025

Co-op sector welcomes Victorian Government support, cutting red tape helps expansion, Adviser Voice, 26 June 2025

Feds set to cooperate on ‘proportional regulation’, Banking Day, 23 June 2025

Co-ops and mutuals hit $47.7 billion revenue, MPA, 20 June 2025

Opinion: Rethinking the broken grocery competition model, insideFMCG, 26 May 2025

Australia’s co-op apex calls on new government to support sector, Co-op News, 19 May 2025

Election 2025: The housing crisis and the case for co-operatives, 2GB, 28 April 2025

Co-op supermarket competition thrives overseas, why not in regional Australia?, The Land, 7 April

Co-op supermarket competition thrives overseas, why not in regional Australia?, The Land, 5 April 2025

BCCM and The Barossa Co-op on the need for more co-op supermarkets, ABC Radio SA Afternoons, 4 April 2025 (from 1:25:25)

Hundreds of elderly people stranded in public hospitals waiting for aged care, The Canberra Times, 3 April 2025 (paywall)

The budget impact on co-ops, AusBiz, 27 March 2025

No extra home care packages in budget, Community Care Review, 26 March 2025

Co-op sector says Budget’s aged care and housing plans will help many Australians: BCCM, Australian Rural & Regional News, 25 March 2025

Regional shoppers pay price of supermarket dominance, CBR City News, 22 March 2025

ACCC hands down report into supermarkets, ABC Radio PM, 21 March 2025

Coles and Woolworths shares surge after ‘benign’ report into supermarket sector — as it happened, ABC News, 21 March 2025

‘Feels like were are fighting a losing battle’: Calls for changes at the supermarket, Nine Honey, 21 March 2025

ASX Gains as Coles and Woolworths Lead Relief Rally, Colito, 21 March 2025

ACCC identifies co-op supermarkets as alternative to major operators: BCCM, Australian Rural & Regional News, 21 March 2025

Are housing co-operatives the future of renting? (1:04 – 22:49), ABC Life Matters, 20 March 2025

Murrumbidgee Aged Care Network interview (2:11:53), ABC Riverina Radio, 10 March 2025

Exploring the benefits of social enterprise certification for co-operatives, Social Traders, 13 February 2025

BCCM CEO talks housing and care, Sky Regional News, 13 February 2025

ABC interview: Co-operative Care Wagin is a community-driven model for regional health services (39:27 – 46:30), ABC WA Regional Mornings, 10 February 2025

Co-operative Care Wagin is a new community-owned entity to help vulnerable residents with aged and home care, 10 February 2025

BCCM CEO gives evidence to hearing of the Legislative Assembly Select Committee on Essential Worker Housing, 5 February 2025

2024

2024 in review: Headlines from the co-op world, Co-op News, 31 December 2024,

2024 End of Year Q&A with Melina Morrison, CEO BCCM, Co-op News, 30 December 2024

ICA Global Cooperative Conference: a round up (Melina Morrison on how do we live our co-operative identity), Co-op News, 6 December 2025

Discretionary Risk Mutuals gain spotlight as insurance costs rise in Australia, Insurance Business, 22 November 2024

Key role for Discretionary Risk Mutuals to protect businesses and communities, Adviser Voice, 22 November 2024

‘Benchmark’ report urges more help for mutuals, Insurance News, 21 November 2024

Co-ops can and should be a serious part of Australia’s housing solution, Australasian Housing Institute, 28 September 2024

Protecting communities is life blood of co-ops and mutuals (from 34:15 minutes), NSW Country Hour, 19 August 2024

Co-op housing on The Project, 30 July 2024

BCCM CEO Melina Morrison and The Barossa Co-op CEO Cathy Main (from 16 minutes), ABC Radio’s SA & NT Evenings program , 18 July 2024

Co-ops ease cost of living in regional areas (1:00:39 to 1:30:00), ABC Radio, 11 July 2024

This alternative to supermarkets can help you save on groceries, but most people don’t know it exists, by business reporter Samuel Yang, The Business, ABC news (watch online)

The big idea to take away from the UK election, ausbiz today, 8 July 2024

Melina Morrison’s interview with Rachel Pupazzoni (from 9.10 mins), ABC’sThe Business on Monday, 23 June 2024

Yvonne doesn’t own her home. This housing alternative means she never worries about rent, on SBS News, 25 June 2024

Government has urged the private sector, in particular tourism and export sectors, to include co-operatives in its value chains, The Fiji Times, 19 June 2024

Gray pays $115 a week in rent. But there’s a catch, on Sydney Morning Herald, 15 June 2024

“Express your interest!”: The Bunya Fund, growing the next generation of co-operatives, on the Bank Australia website, 23 May 2024

Unlocking the ‘Missing Middle’: Lessons from Europe’s housing co-ops, in Co-operative News, 31 May 2024

The impact of Fonterra’s asset sales on Australian Dairy Farmers and local workers, with Tony Briscoe on ABC Radio’s Tasmanian Country Hour, 23 May 2024

BCCM says Fonterra sale another blow for Australian dairy farmers, Scoop NZ, 17 May 2024

Dairy farmers concerns at Fonterra’s ‘step change’, The Canberra Times
Fonterra plan ‘another blow’ to dairy farmers, Gold Coast Bulletin
Fonterra to sell its Australian business, Dairy News Australia

More funding necessary to fix housing crisis, FS Sustainability, 20 May 2024

Co-operative sector welcomes budget measures to boost social housing, Australian Property Markets News, 15 May 2024

Budget not investing enough in homelessness prevention, Australian Property Journal, 15 May 2024

Podcast: Benefits of Housing Co-ops with Linda Seaborn, 4 April 2024

Newcastle Building Society turns its focus to community and regional development, Co-operative News, 2 April 2024

‘Time is right’ for government-backed RMBS: Greg Medcraft, in Mortgage Business, 28 March 2024

Australia’s Bunya Fund for co-op development opens for new applications, Co-operative News, 19 March 2024

‘I’m home’: how co-operative housing could take pressure off Australia’s housing crisis, The Conversation, 15 March 2024

Community housing sector can play greater role to ease crisis, in the Australian Property Journal, 18 February 2024

Guest blog: Measuring our mutual value, on The Building Societies Association (BSA) website (5 February 2024)

The missing middle that could help fix the housing crisis, in the Sydney Morning Herald, 5 January 2024 (paywall).

2023

Are co-ops the answer to Australian housing crisis?, Proactive Australia, 30 November 2023

Push to consider co-operative housing to ease crisis, ABC Radio National, 29 November 2023

Regional health gap – Business Council of Co-operatives and Mutuals responds to Westfund report, in Australian Rural & Regional News, 3 November 2023

Five years on from Banking Royal Commission – what’s been learned, ABC NewsRadio Breakfast, 27 October 2023

Are mutual insurers on the comeback trail?, Insurance Business, 12 October 2023

Worker-owned care firms could bring services to rural and remote areas, The Australian, 6 August 2023

ABC Riverina interview: How the co-operative model empowers communities to fight back, 3 August 2023

Overcoming the capital conundrum, ICMIF, 6 July 2023

Calls rise for expansion of co-operative housing in Australia, Sky News, 1 July 2023

ABC’s Western Australia Country Hour (from 4:35 min): WA co-ops and mutuals, CBH and the NME on ABC Radio, 26 June

North Coast farming co-ops tally up monstrous flood cost, Daily Telegraph, 13 June 2023

Offshoring of Australia’s food processing must be reversed: BCCM, Australian Rural & Regional News, 8 June 2023

Time to revive co-ops, The Weekly Times, 24 May 2023

The sector that wants to sandbag itself from private equity, Australian Financial Review, 29 May 2023

European launch for BCCM’s new tool to measure value of co-op businesses, Co-op News, 25 May 2023

BCCM launches the Mutual Value Measurement framework in Europe, ICMIF, 25 May 2023

A delicate balancing act between people and business, ausbiz, 10 May 2023.

Half of Australia’s GDP: Why the budget should focus on SME growth, SmartCompany, 8 May 2023

Mutual benefits: in the rush to DMFs, core principles must not be forgotten, Insurance News, 24 April 2023

Letters: Financial Review, 19 April 2023

Why acquisition of milk processors raises concerns for food security: Melina Morrison’s insights, ABC Radio’s Warwick Long (WL) on Country Hour, 10 April 2023 (Listen to recorded interview on ABC Tasmania: 01:39 – 07.51)

BCCM chief gives evidence to Australian Senate on value of co-op sector, Co-operative News, 23 February 2023

Riverland and South East SA Rural Report, 7 February 2023

Annual Q&A with BCCM CEO Melina Morrison, Co-operative News, 11 January 2023

2022

Forbes Australia: Manufacturing’s missing middle: solving the riddle

Insurance News: Conduct code for mutuals launched as ‘traditional’ premiums rise

NSW Country Hour, ABC: Gas price cap a just-in-time measure

Australian Financial Review: Beware the trade-offs a gas price cap brings

ABC Radio Country Breakfast: Interview with Enrique de los Rios and the BCCM

Co-operative News: Australian co-op apex BCCM calls for fresh action on climate change

Various: Heritage-People’s Choice merger is a milestone for banking industry competition

ABC Mid North Coast: About the need for the “Government to think about what is required to retain 170 jobs and vital dairy capacity in the Northern Rivers region in NSW, and indeed, in Australia”