Australia's Leading Co-operative and Mutual Enterprises in 2019

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 2,032 active CMEs of which 82% were co-operatives, 14% mutual enterprises, 2.1% were friendly societies and 2% were member-owned superannuation funds. These firms had a combined active membership base of over 31.3 million memberships1, generated more than $104.4 billion in revenue, managed over $923.7 billion in assets, and employed at least 61,255 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 a case study of a selected CME to illustrate them.