Parliamentary Friends reception showcases the national importance of producer co‑operatives

25 March 2026

Michael Jeffrey, Chair, Norco Co‑operative Limited; Simon Stead, Chair, CBH Group; Hon Kevin Hogan MP, Co‑Chair Parliamentary Friends of Co‑operatives and Mutuals, Shadow Assistant Treasurer and Shadow Minister for Financial Services; Su McCluskey, Director, Australian Unity and member of the National Food Security Council; Ben Macnamara, CEO, CBH Group; Louise Miller‑Frost MP, Co‑Chair Parliamentary Friends of Co‑operatives and Mutuals and Member for Boothby; Melina Morrison, CEO, BCCM; Marc Anderson, CEO, Geraldton Fishermen’s Co‑operative; and Anthony Nehme, General Manager, Yenda Producers Co‑operative.

Celebrating Australia’s leading producer co‑operatives

On Tuesday, the Business Council of Co‑operatives and Mutuals, in partnership with CBH Group, hosted members, parliamentarians and industry leaders at Parliament House for the Parliamentary Friends of Co‑operatives and Mutuals Co‑operative Sundowners.

The event, co‑chaired by Louise Miller‑Frost MP, Member for Boothby, and the Hon Kevin Hogan MP, Shadow Assistant Treasurer and Shadow Minister for Financial Services, highlighted the national contribution of Australia’s major producer co‑operatives, including CBH Group, Geraldton Fishermen’s Co‑operative, Norco Co‑operative and Yenda Producers Co‑operative. These organisations represent thousands of farming and fishing families and play a central role in Australia’s food production and export performance.

Hon Dr Andrew Leigh MP, Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition, Charities and Treasury; Andrew Wilcox MP, Shadow Assistant Minister for Manufacturing and Sovereign Capability; and Melina Morrison, CEO, BCCM.

A bipartisan platform for the sector

BCCM CEO Melina Morrison welcomed parliamentarians from across the political spectrum, noting the growing recognition of member‑owned business models in strengthening food security, regional economies and national resilience. Senior attendees included the Hon Dan Tehan MP, the Hon Dr Andrew Leigh MP, Senator the Hon Bridget McKenzie, the Hon Tim Wilson MP, Rick Wilson MP and Andrew Wilcox MP, reflecting broad parliamentary interest in the sector’s relevance to current economic and geopolitical pressures.

Melina highlighted the shift in global conditions:

“It’s remarkable how quickly things can change. With the conflict in the Middle East, there is additional urgency to our message. In a crisis, Australians need businesses they can trust to act in the national interest.”

She reinforced the structural strength of co‑operatives in times of disruption:

“Co‑ops and mutuals are uniquely structured to respond in a crisis and to put their members first — they are formed for just such a purpose.”

Senator the Hon Bridget McKenzie, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development; Michael Jeffrey, Chair, Norco Co‑operative Limited; and Melina Morrison, CEO, BCCM.

Why co‑operatives matter: context for a national conversation

Co‑operatives and mutuals are being discussed in Parliament because they are relevant to today’s policy challenges, not as advocacy theatre. Parliamentary Friends of Co‑operatives and Mutuals exists as a bipartisan, ongoing mechanism for dialogue between Parliament and Australia’s member‑owned businesses.

Australia has over 200 agricultural co‑operatives representing 35,000 members. This is a significant national asset, but it also reflects a story of loss: hundreds of farm‑owned processors, abattoirs, fishing co‑operatives, fruit packers and sugar milling co‑operatives have disappeared over recent decades because Australia’s regulatory settings favour corporatisation over community ownership. When co‑operatives corporatise, farmers become price takers and staples like milk, meat and grain become financial assets rather than essential supply‑chain capacity.

The co‑operative leaders present at the reception demonstrate the alternative. They show how member‑owned business models keep value local, support regional jobs and plan for the long term.

Co‑Chairs of the Parliamentary Friends of Co‑operatives and Mutuals, Hon Kevin Hogan MP, Shadow Assistant Treasurer and Shadow Minister for Financial Services, and Louise Miller‑Frost MP, Member for Boothby, delivering their addresses at the Parliamentary Friends reception.

Co‑operative leadership on food security

In their remarks, co‑chairs Louise Miller‑Frost and Kevin Hogan emphasised the essential role of co‑operation in agriculture. More than 200 primary producer co‑operatives operate nationally, supporting tens of thousands of members and delivering critical value across the supply chain. They noted that co‑operatives underpin food security, strengthen export earnings and maintain jobs and investment in regional communities.

Ben Macnamara, CEO, CBH Group; Hon Melissa Price MP, Member for Durack; Melina Morrison, CEO, BCCM; Simon Stead, Chair, CBH Group; and Rick Wilson MP, Member for O’Connor.

CBH Group: grower ownership driving national competitiveness

CBH Group Chair Simon Stead and CEO Ben MacNamara outlined the long‑term value created through grower ownership. Ben described CBH’s investment in rail, storage and port assets, which enables Australia to remain competitive as a grain exporter and ensures surpluses are reinvested for member benefit. CBH handles around half of Australia’s grain exports, demonstrating the scale and national importance of its member‑owned infrastructure.

Simon spoke to the resilience of co‑operatives during periods of disruption, highlighting their commitment to maintaining essential services and supporting regional communities through shocks such as market closures, supply chain pressures and climate‑related events.

Melina Morrison, CEO, BCCM and Ben Mcnamara CEO, CBH Group delivering their addresses.

Policy reform: enabling co‑operatives to deliver national resilience

Melina outlined the policy settings required to strengthen the co‑operative sector’s contribution to national resilience. Using a simple analogy, she said:

“I don’t know a lot about grain farming… but I do know about a loaf of bread. The adage ‘no farmers, no food’ comes to mind.”

She noted how quickly supply chains can fracture under stress:

“When the system is put under stress, our supply chains are long, we are not as prepared as we should be and profiteering sets in. So you need someone in your corner. Co‑operatives are tried and tested shock absorbers in times of crisis.”

Melina outlined the sector’s central reform priority: legacy asset protection to preserve community‑owned productive capacity, as seen in comparable jurisdictions overseas. She also called for co‑operatives to be recognised in food security planning, competition policy and financing frameworks.

Melina set out the sector’s central reform priority: legacy asset protection – a safeguard already in place in Italy, France, the United Kingdom and the United States – to ensure that grower‑owned processing and supply‑chain assets remain in community ownership rather than being sold into investor markets. She also called for co‑operatives to be recognised in national food security planning, competition settings and financing frameworks.

Dan Tehan MP, Member for Wannon; Tim Wilson MP, Member for Goldstein; with Melina Morrison, CEO, BCCM.

Demonstrating resilience across the movement

Leaders from across the producer co‑operative sector shared examples of how they had adapted through recent crises:

CBH Group, owned by more than 4,200 Western Australian grain growers, is Australia’s largest agricultural co‑operative and handles around half of Australia’s grain exports. Its grower‑owned model enables sustained investment in rail, storage and port assets. During COVID‑era disruptions, CBH maintained grain receival, logistics and export operations, keeping growers connected to markets despite significant supply‑chain pressure.
Geraldton Fishermen’s Co‑operative, the world’s largest rock lobster co‑operative, supports fishing families and coastal communities across Western Australia. When geopolitical shocks disrupted major export markets, GFC diversified its sales approach and product formats, allowing continued operations and protecting member livelihoods during a severe period of uncertainty.
Norco is Australia’s last major farmer‑owned dairy processing co‑operative and a significant regional employer across New South Wales and Queensland. After catastrophic flooding destroyed key processing infrastructure, Norco rebuilt essential facilities to restore production, ensuring farmers could continue supplying and communities could retain local jobs.
Yenda Producers Co‑operative, one of Australia’s oldest agricultural co‑operatives and marked its centenary in 2025. It continues to provide essential farm supplies and services in the Riverina, offering stable access to inputs and supporting farming families through droughts, floods and market disruption.

These stories illustrated how co‑operatives safeguard member livelihoods and regional stability during volatile conditions.

Takeaway co‑operative produce and cupcakes included rolled oats from Blue Lake Milling, part of CBH Group, showcasing grower‑owned grain value‑adding; almonds from Almondco Australia, representing more than 80 per cent of Australia’s almond growers; macadamias from Marquis Macadamias, Australia’s largest grower‑owned macadamia co‑operative; and Hopsters Beer from Hopsters Brewery Co‑operative, Australia’s first co‑operative brewery.

A growing national conversation

The Sundowners concluded with discussions between parliamentarians, producer co‑operative leaders and Su McCluskey of the National Food Security Council. Their engagement reflected a growing understanding that co‑operatives are essential partners in Australia’s food security strategy and economic resilience agenda.

Melina closed by reaffirming the importance of ongoing dialogue:

“Parliamentary Friends of Co‑operatives and Mutuals has been formed in every parliament since 2017 as a bipartisan forum. It reflects the relevance of co‑operatives and mutuals to today’s policy challenges — and the barriers that still hold them back.”

View the full image gallery from the roundtable.