How was the 2025 International Year of Cooperatives for you and your organisation?
2025 was a landmark year for Australia’s co-operative and mutual sector. The United Nations International Year of Cooperatives (IYC) was an invitation to celebrate and elevate the value our members deliver to Australian communities and the economy. Australia’s co-operatives and mutuals have a combined turnover of over $47bn ($184.3bn including member-owned pension plans) and more than 37.3 million active memberships (eight in every 10 Australians). This year, we set out a vision to double the size of the co-operative and mutual economy, inspired by similar growth targets around the world.
Following the UN’s directive to country level actors to improve the conditions for co-operative growth, we advocated for a better operating environment, engaged with government and regulators and delivered the first phase of our federal government funded Care Together programme, helping regional communities access quality care and securing further funding for expansion. We also distributed $100,000 in grants to empower emerging co-ops through the Bunya Fund and strengthened our commitment to First Nations co-ops through our Reconciliation Action Plan.
Related: Australia’s top 100 co-ops post $47.7bn in revenue
The IYC also gave us a chance to connect globally. Our Mutual Growth Study Tour took Australian mutual leaders to Europe to learn how co-ops and mutuals innovate for growth and navigate regulation. A highlight was a dinner at Westminster Parliament hosted by the UK All-Party Parliamentary Group for Mutuals – celebrating knowledge exchange between our movements. At home, the BCCM Leaders’ Summit in Adelaide welcomed more than 300 delegates and featured international speakers including Andrew Pakes MP, Shirine Khoury-Haq, Kevin Parry OBE and Jeroen Douglas – reinforcing the global nature of our sector and the importance of purposeful leadership.
Our Icons campaign and The Power of Co film series showcased the sector’s impact, while research and networking platforms continued to drive innovation and collaboration.
What are your hopes for 2026?
Looking ahead, there is strong momentum and commitment within our movement.
My hope for 2026 is to see the foundations we have built translate into even greater growth and impact for co-operatives and mutuals across Australia. We will continue advocating for regulatory reforms, improved access to capital and recognition of the sector’s role in delivering real value.
We are excited to deepen our international partnerships, expand programs like Care Together and foster more emerging co-operatives through the Bunya Fund. With the energy of our members and the support of government and community, we believe we can help shape a more prosperous and fairer Australia – through co-operation.
