Australia's Leading Co-Operative and Mutual Enterprises in 2014

Abstract

This paper reports on a research study designed to map the size and structure of the Co-operative and Mutual enterprise (CME) sector in Australia. Its purpose is to provide a better understanding of these Australian Co-operative and Mutual businesses and their contribution to the national economy. Despite representing some of the largest businesses in their sectors and being found across a wide-range of industries the overall size, structure and contribution of the CME sector in Australia are relatively poorly understood. This is due to a paucity of reliable data, difficulties in definition and vagueness over which firms should be identified as CME. To address these issues the development of an Australian Co-operative and Mutual Business Index (ACMI) has commenced. This aims to provide data and analysis of the size and shape of the CME sector. In 2014 it has focused on the identification of the Top 100 Co-operative and Mutual enterprises in Australia to inform the peak body representing the sector, the Business Council of Co-operatives and Mutuals (BCCM).