NSW launches IYC 2025 at the BCCM-NRMA Icons Breakfast

20 March 2025

On Wednesday, 19 March 2025, BCCM CEO Melina Morrison addressed over 80 policymakers, business leaders, and co-operative champions at the NSW Parliamentary BCCM and NRMA Icons Breakfast, hosted by New South Wales Treasurer, the Hon. Daniel Mookhey, MLC. The Breakfast marked the launch of the International Year of Cooperatives 2025 (IYC 2025) in NSW. In her speech, Melina underscored the crucial role of co-ops and mutuals in fostering a fairer, more resilient economy – highlighting their history of innovation, deep community impact and ongoing commitment to sustainable growth.

Among the key speakers were NSW Treasurer, the Hon. Daniel Mookhey, MLC, and the Hon. The Hon. Anoulack Chanthivong MP, Minister for Better Regulation and Fair Trading, Minister for Industry and Trade, who addressed the audience on the importance of mutuals and co-operatives in today’s landscape.

Rohan Lund, Group CEO of the NRMA, launched the inaugural NRMA Index, revealing a stark reality: those who need help most are the least likely to ask for it. While half of Australians say they would reach out for help, only 11 per cent of those struggling would reach out for support, and just 30 per cent feel a strong sense of community.

However, the research also highlights the power of social connections in encouraging help-seeking and reducing isolation. More than half of Australians strengthen their support networks by spending time with friends and family, and nearly one in four (23 per cent) have volunteered in the past year – demonstrating the impact of connection in building stronger communities.

As Rohan said, “There is no denying that too many of our fellow Australians find themselves struggling, isolated, and scared in 2025. As a nation, we must work together to find solutions, just as we have at every challenging point in our past.”

Rohan Lund, CEO NRMA, the Hon Anoulack Chanthivong MP, Minister for Better Regulation and Fair Trading, Industry and Trade, Melina Morrison, CEO BCCM and the Hon Daniel Mookhey MLC, Treasurer of New South Wales

Below is Melina’s full speech from the event:

“We do come prepared with histories steeped in overcoming adversity and planning for the future to create an economy that works in the interests of the widest number. As businesses inculcated with the virtues of prudence, thrift, trustworthiness and resilience, we congratulate you on your careful management of the State’s budget, balancing the need to safeguard the social benefits that ensure we look after everyone. It’s a tough job.

The founder of the modern credit union movement, Frederich Raiffeisen (and I do acknowledge a descendant of this model here today – Rabobank), once said, in order to tackle poverty, you must first tackle dependence.

Co-ops and mutuals tackle dependence through self-help, mutuality, reciprocity and co-operation every day. They build an economy that works in the interests of the widest number and ensure the rewards of enterprise are distributed equitably.

That’s a powerful force when co-ops are embraced not only as efficient, commercial, trusted and ethical businesses, but as vehicles of economic development.

So says the United Nations in declaring 2025 the second International Year of Cooperatives and member-owned businesses. Co-ops and mutuals being the only business model to have been awarded an international year.

In his message at the launch of IYC 2025 UN Secretary-General António Guterres highlighted the critical role of cooperatives in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and their significance in the context of the second world summit for social development in November in Qatar, where a network of 50 CEOs from leading cooperatives and mutuals around the world, who have committed to advocating for our business model on the global stage, will present a Communique and a Five-Year Commitment Plan on expanding the market share of co-ops and mutuals while aligning with the SDGs.

The quote I am most attached to is from former UN SG Ban Ki Moon on the launch of the 2012 IYC:

“Co-operatives are a reminder that it is possible to pursue commercial success and social responsibility.”

The UN has called on Member States to make a commitment to policy reforms that put co-ops and mutuals on a level playing field with other business models.

We want to get on with the job of serving our members and the communities in which we operate. So we need an operating environment that recognises the model and incentivises its growth.

Our scale and reach is immense yet rarely known. Three million businesses have one billion members and account for 12 per cent of humanity. The top 300 have turn over of $2.4tr US and employ 10 per cent of the world’s workers. In NSW 750 co-ops and mutuals hides a staggering 12.8 million members collectively and have turn over of more than $18 billion.

We are the iceberg economy, with the impact hiding under that singular exterior. Co-ops and mutuals are the quiet achievers, showing their stripes in a crisis.

During COVID our Leading the Resilience Report found co-ops and mutuals responded, ethically, responsibly, and creatively.

NRMA provided its thrifty cars to transport health workers. HCF deployed its dentists to help lines and outreach rather than furlough staff.

In a crisis, business purpose matters. The response of co-ops and mutuals during the pandemic found they are instinctively the job keepers, they bailed in their resources, using their reserves and self-help as the default response.

Co-ops and mutuals are often formed in adversity or a response to an oppressive condition; it is in their DNA.

It is in their name, not a tagline or a marketing gimmick but an authentic reflection of their purpose.

NRMA, national roads and motorists’ association, HCF, Hospital contribution fund, any of the mutual banks today Newcastle Greater Mutual Group, The Mutual Bank, Australian Mutual Bank, Community First Bank – all mutual, all member-owned, all democratically governed for the common good.

Common Equity NSW, is tenant owned and controlled housing. Building societies were societies for building, credit unions, unions of credit, the first peer to peer lending.

They are the innovators too:

Before motoring clubs there were no roads, street signs, driver education, or petrol stations – Yes AMPOL once stood for Australian Motorists Petrol Company.

Before friendly societies and contribution funds there were no Private Health Insurers.

Before credit unions there were no ATMs. Before agricultural co-ops farmers did not control the supply chain, and we had no canneries.

Today we are innovating just as fervently. We have with us pioneering community owned renewable energy co-ops, disability housing networks and risk pools meeting the latest challenges with insurance market failure.

20,000 NSW businesses are served through retail, marketing and buying groups – some are here today – helping SMEs compete in the increasing concentrated markets.

NSW is home to two new pioneering co-ops forming to solve the care crisis in regional areas – in Murrumbidgee nine aged care residential operators are forming a back-office co-op to share services and reduce costs of operation. In Eurobodalla, a group of independent home support workers is formed a co-op to help them run their small businesses sustainably in the regulatory environment.

The history of this great state and the history of co-ops and mutuals is twinned.

Our fold-out keepsake on the table is a brief history of co-ops and mutuals in NSW. I am delighted to play a video which brings this brochure to life.

On the back of the brochure, is a QR code. Please visit this link where you will find longer stories from our year long social media campaign to share our iconic stories virally.

Please explore the wonderful and rich history of co-ops past, present and future.

Without further ado, ladies, and gentlemen, I bring you BCCM’s Icons.”