Levelling the playing field – a world class operating environment for co-ops and mutuals

26 June 2023

The BCCM celebrates our tenth anniversary in 2023. This month we’re recognising the positive changes we have brought about to the operating environment for co-ops and mutuals in Australia.

We advocate to remove the barriers to fair competition and innovation so member-owned businesses can operate on a level playing field. We do this through our ongoing advocacy work, raising the profile of our sector through submissions, participation in Parliamentary inquiries and our Parliamentary Friends work.

In March 2015, the Federal Senate voted to hold an inquiry into the operation of co-operatives and mutuals in the Australian economy. “It has taken some months but I’m excited by this landmark opportunity to examine the contribution of co-operatives, mutuals and member owned businesses and the current barriers to innovation, growth and free competition,” said BCCM CEO, Melina Morrison.

In March 2016, the Senate inquiry into Co-ops, Mutuals and Member-owned firms handed-down a report into their examination into the role, importance, and overall performance of co-operative, mutual and member-owned firms, which received strong industry endorsement as a roadmap to begin to level the playing field for the sector.

The introduction of Mutual Capital Instruments in the Corporations Act in 2019, the completion of legislative harmonisation for state-registered co-operatives in 2020 (making Co-operative Capital Units available for all co-ops), and the passing of an exemption to the Franchising Code for co-ops and mutuals in 2021 were legislative changes that the BCCM helped to secure. Each represented a critical step towards providing an enabling policy environment for businesses in our sector.

The BCCM has also made 174 submissions since 2013; recent work has included our 2023 Pre-Budget Submission as well as Parliamentary submissions to the 2022 NSW Flood Inquiry and the Aged Care Royal Commission.

We also build relationships with our Parliamentarians to help them understand the long-term developments, contributions and needs of our sector. The Federal Parliamentary Friends of Co-operatives and Mutuals group was formed in 2017 following the BCCM’s advocacy for bipartisan political support. The group galvanises political support for co-ops and mutuals across the political parties through biannual meetings at Australian Parliament House to focus political attention on the sector.

The first Parliamentary Friends Group of Co-operatives and Mutuals in the NSW Parliament was launched in October 2022, allowing us to build state-specific relationships. More recently, the BCCM has represented the co-operatives and mutual sector at the Department of Industry’s Supply Chain Roundtable and the ACCC’s Small Business and Franchising Consultative Committee.

As one of our key pillars of activity, our advocacy work is a way in which we make a significant difference to co-operatives and mutuals in Australia. Although much has been achieved, we have more work to do, and consequently our efforts to level the playing field for our members and the broader sector will continue into our next decade.