Cosmopolitan Civil Societies Research Centre is an interdisciplinary research initiative at the University of Technology, Sydney. It investigates from multi-disciplinary perspectives the practices that lie between political institutions, economic relations and traditional social formations, which are crucial in enabling social cohesion and change in cosmopolitan societies.

CCS web site

The Marrickville Local Government area is a diverse, vibrant and innovative area that acknowledges and is proud of its original people - the Cadigal-Wangal - and of each new generation of immigrants that have settled here.

The area is less than 10 kilometres from the city centre, and comprises some of Sydney's oldest suburbs. People of different ages, lifestyles and diverse cultural backgrounds have made our community what it is today. It has a population of approximately 70,000 people in an area of 16.5 km.

Marrickville Council web site

Recognised as Sydney’s second CBD, Parramatta is also the sixth largest CBD in Australia and the economic capital of Western Sydney, Australia’s fastest growing region. Parramatta is named from an Aboriginal word meaning “the place where eels lie down” and the 61 square kilometre local government area is home to vibrant multicultural communities and combines some of the most important heritage sites in Australia with a lively city centre undergoing a major urban transformation.

Parramatta City Council has a budget of $127 million, 700 staff providing services to more than 150 000 residents, and programs that assist the city centre and culturally diverse neighbourhoods grow and become more attractive place.

Parramatta City web site

mecu is a credit union that has been meeting the banking needs of our members for 50 years.

We offer specialised banking products and services to other like minded organisations in the non profit sector.

In 2006 mecu was recognised by Standard and Poors, the United Nations Environmental Program and SustainAbility UK, in their Global Reporters Survey of Corporate Sustainability Reporting as one of the top 50 leading companies in sustainability reporting. The mecu team were awarded the Gold Banksia Award and Banksia Environmental Award in 2005, the ACCA Best Sustainability Report of the Year in 2006 and Continued High Quality Sustainability Report in 2007.  In 2007 the Australian mutual banking sector further recognised mecu as the most sustainable mutually owned financial institution in Australia.

mecu has become one of Australia’s most successful banking cooperatives, with over 100,000 members, some $1.4 billion in assets and over $170 million in member reserves.

mecu web site