CO-OPERATIVE SERVICES
"By mutual confidence and mutual aid,
Great deeds are done, and great discoveries made;"
The Iliad, Homer 800 B.C.E.
Co-operatives have a rich history of service in many forms throughout the world.
International Co-operative Alliance (ICA), the international peak body of co-operative organisations, adopted a Statement on the Co-operative Identity at its 1995 congress. This statement includes a co-operation definition: “A co-operative is an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social, and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly-owned and democratically-controlled enterprise.”
To see the full ICA statement click here - ICA Statement
Co-operatives can be found in almost every field of activity.
Examples of co-operatives currently providing services to members in Australia: antique collectors; artists; arts and crafts; barristers’ services; beef producers; bus and coaches; bush foods and products; bush land regeneration; cane growers; carriers’; coffee growers; community arts centres; community clubs; community food buying; community radio; community services; dairy; education and training; egg producers; employment services; energy; estate agents; family day care centres; fish producers; fruit producers; galleries; gold; golf clubs; gourmet meats; hairdresser buying; harvesting; herbs and spices; historical activities; housing tenants; kindergartens; libraries; liquor supply; marinas; marketing; meals-on-wheels; meat producers; media; medical services; music; native fish; native hardwood; newsagents; olives; packaging; permaculture; pet care; pre school; professional services; publishing; railways; recycling; rural education; sailing clubs; saw-millers; ski lodges; sugar milling; taxis; transport and haulage; water supply; wine consumers; winemakers; women’s refuges; wood-turners; labour supply; and youth theatre.
For every challenge there is a co-operative solution.
The Mercury Centre has been involved in co-operative development since its inception and offers a range of services in the formation and ongoing support for co-operatives.
For more about co-operatives, visit our Co-operatives Resources Page