Australia's Leading Co-operative and Mutual Enterprises in 2018: CEMI Discussion Paper 1801

Abstract

This paper reports on a research study that aims to map the size and structure of the Co-operative and Mutual enterprise (CME) sector in Australia. The Australian CME Index (ACMEI) is a longitudinal study that can provide a better understanding of these firms and their economic and social contribution to the national economy. This year the study found a total of 1,998 active CMEs of which 82.3% were co-operatives, 13.5% mutual enterprises, 2.2% were friendly societies and 2% were member-owned superannuation funds. These firms had a combined active membership base of over 29.5 million memberships, generated more than $102.7 billion in revenue, managed over $809.7 billion in assets, and employed at least 54,841 people. They encompassed a wide range of industry sectors and provided significant economic and social benefits to their members. The report outlines these contributions and offers case studies of selected CMEs to illustrate these contributions.