Australian National Co-operatives
National co-operatives are a relatively new phenomenon in Australia. Until the
1990's,
co-operatives generally operated within state borders. In 1996, most Australian
State and
Territory Governments (except Western Australia) signed an intergovernmental
agreement to adopt a
national scheme for co-operatives law.
Background
In 1986, the Australian Agricultural Council's Working Party on Agricultural
Co-operatives recommended that consideration be given to
establishing uniform co-operatives legislation throughout
Australia after identifying that legislative inconsistencies between the
states created barriers to the development of internationally competitive
national agricultural co-operatives.
1
At the time, there were 10 disparate pieces of state and
territory legislation
governing Australian co-operatives.
Co-operatives law did not provide for the
recognition of interstate co-operatives or allow the merger of
co-operatives across state borders.
Co-operatives were also subject to federal
companies legislation when recruiting members and issuing securities in another
state. The
prospectus provisions of companies law were considered inappropriate and
prohibitively expensive for co-operatives.
In 1990, the Agricultural Council referred the matter to the Standing Committee
of Attorneys General (SCAG), which established a working party to review
various methods
to implement a national scheme for co-operatives law. In 1996, SCAG and
the Ministerial Council of Corporations agreed that the best way to achieve
uniform legislation was an intergovernmental agreement incorporating "core"
legislative provisions which would be consistent across all jurisdictions.
2
1996 Co-operatives Laws Agreement
The Co-operatives Laws Agreement is an agreement between Australian States and
Territories to enact uniform co-operatives legislation based around a
number of "core consistent provisions" agreed to by State, Territory and
Commonwealth Governments after extensive consultation with the Australian
co-operative sector.
The
Victorian Co-operatives Act 1996
forms the basis of the Co-operatives Laws Agreement, and all States and
Territories have adopted the "core consistent provisions"
contained in
the Victorian law.
Today, there were over a dozen co-operatives operating in jurisdictions
outside their state of registration. A number operate in more than 2 states.
For the purposes of this directory, a national co-operative is registered in at
least three Australian states and territories. The state of incorporation of
the co-operative is listed within the
(brackets).
Agriculture
Interest groups
Retail trade
Wholesale trade
Agricultural Finance Co-operative Ltd
(NSW)
Genetics Australia Co-operative Ltd
(Vic)
Northern Herd Development Co-operative Ltd
(Vic)
Australian Valuers Institute Co-operative Ltd
(NSW)
RPH Australia Co-operative Ltd
(NSW)
The Australian Wine Consumers Co-operative Society Ltd
(NSW)
University Co-operative Bookshop Ltd
(NSW)
Australian Travel Agents Co-operative Ltd
(Vic)
Camping World Australia Co-operative Ltd
(NSW)
Independent Toy Specialists of Australia Co-operative Ltd
(NSW)
Master Butchers Co-operative Ltd
(SA)
Plumbers Supplies Co-operative Ltd
(NSW)
Rapid Group Co-operative Ltd
(NSW)
Tertiary Access Group Co-operative Ltd
(NSW)
TFP Co-operative Ltd
(NSW)
Welcome Motor Inns Co-operative Ltd
(NSW)
1. Report of the Working Party for the Standing Committee on Agriculture,
Australian Agricultural Council, 1988.
2. Co-operatives Law Report, Western Australian Parliamentary Standing Committee
on Uniform Legislation and Intergovernmental Agreements, 1998.
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