Co-operatives and mutuals are key to the economy

18 March 2015

Following the confirmation of a Senate Inquiry into co-operatives and mutuals and the endorsement of member-owned businesses in the McClure Report on welfare, CEO of the BCCM Melina Morrison, explains that it is now time to think seriously about how to facilitate the growth of this increasingly important self-help segment of the economy.

With 13.5 million members of mutually owned enterprises in Australia, representing 8 in 10 Australians as member-owners of these businesses contributing more than six per cent of Australia’s GDP, the BCCM calls on government to facilitate a deeper understanding and appreciation of co-operatives and mutuals, modernise the rules and regulations governing co-operatives and mutuals, and extend mutuality to serve the public interest.