BCCM Six Month Report Card

07 February 2014

How the BCCM has delivered against its strategic priorities in the six months since formation:

Collaboration

The BCCM is a national organisation of member and customer owned businesses and businesses run for the benefit of members. BCCM members represent business sectors from motoring, retail and purchasing, banking and insurance to agriculture, housing, healthcare, and peak bodies. Membership is growing and over the past six months we have achieved the critical mass to demonstrate the diversity of this important sector and its value to government and the wider public.

Advocacy

The advocacy of the Council is helping ensure our businesses are included where government seeks to consult with business. In November 2013, BCCM Chairman, Andrew Crane, was appointed to the B20 Committee advising the Federal Government on the business agenda during the 2014 Australian Presidency of the G20 meetings. It is the first time a co-operative business leader has been appointed to a B20 group anywhere in the world.

BCCM’s submissions to the National Commission of Audit and the Productivity Commission Inquiry into Childcare call on government to recognise the role of co-operative and mutual businesses particularly around consumer directed services and improving business efficiency and effectiveness.

Research will build the evidence base to advocate the comparative advantage of our businesses: Current research projects include an update to the Top 100 list of co-operative and mutual businesses, the Green Paper on Public Service Mutuals and a joint project on measuring the added value of customer-owned and member benefit businesses.

Education

Business networking and an industry development program supports the success and growth of our businesses: BCCM launched Ahead of the Curve Business Development Forums with the Future Leader Index briefings with insights into the attitudes, aspirations and consumption patterns of young people aged 19-27. The Industry Task Force to steer the Green paper and White Paper recommendations was formed after last year’s National Roundtable on the potential role for co-operatives and mutuals in Australian public service delivery.

In February BCCM will hold the National Affordable Housing Roundtable. In March, public service mutuals will be in the spotlight with “Making it Mutual” national workshop tour with visiting speaker Peter Hunt, CEO Mutuo UK. The US Business Leaders Tour in June 2014 brings together Australian executives with their UK and US counterparts for a high level exchange between our businesses. A round table in May will launch the added value research project. The BCCM National Conference on 18 November 2014 is aimed at senior executives to enable an open and frank exchange of the challenges and opportunities to grow our businesses.