Greens compel ACT Government to invest in Co-operative businesses in Canberra

Australian Greens

Today the ACT Greens are moving to make co-operative business structures easier to understand and access in Canberra.

Imagine a business that is owned by its members, who are also its workers, customers, and decision makers. An organisation where every member has a vote and a voice, meaning power and influence cannot be bought and profits are reinvested directly into the community. This is a co-operative business structure, and the ACT Greens think there should be more of them in our city.

“We want Canberra to be a thriving co-operative city that builds economic opportunities for the local community and encourages business that is community-centred and responsible”, said Johnathan Davis MLA who is moving the motion today.

“Co-operatives open the door for regular people with no significant means or prestige in society to become business owners and give back to their communities by doing so.

“Co-operatives put the control of the business in the hands of their members – the people who run, staff and use the business, rather than shareholders whose overwhelming interest is in maximising profit.

“Co-operatives are really popular overseas, but here in Australia they are hard to understand, difficult to set up, and their benefits are largely unknown. This is unfortunate because co-operatives are often more resilient in economic downturns and create wealth and jobs that stay in the community.

“They also can provide secure jobs, better worker’s rights and are a fairer alternative to gig economy ‘job-shares’ which are driving up rates of casualisation and underemployment.

“The ACT Greens took a detailed co-operatives policy to the ACT election and this motion is the first step to fulfilling that.

“My motion asks the ACT Government to consider establishing a unit to assist prospective co-operatives to navigate and understand how to establish and develop co-operatives and other alternative business structures.

I’m calling on the ACT Government to lay this important groundwork, so that more Canberrans are empowered to make this choice which will have great benefits for our local community and small business sector.”

Scotty Foster from Cooperatives, Commons and Communities Canberra (CoCanberra) and the New Economy Network of Australia (NENA) Canberra Hub, said:

“Responding to the climate crisis is incredibly urgent. With our federal government captured by industry, cooperatives are a proven pathway for the community to provide for its own needs, in the way we want to see things done – ways good for people and planet.

When we have finished changing our light bulbs and putting solar on our own roofs, we need to get organised to push things further. Co-operatives are a democratic business structure with a solid set of ethics and principles enshrined within them, which can empower our communities and get the necessary work done.”

/Public Release. View in full here.