Co-operative strategic renewal in Australia

This chapter examines the strategic renewal of co-operatives at a national level in Australia and looks at its impact on consumer co-operatives. The formation of the Business and Co-operatives Mutuals (BCCM) in 2012 provided an opportunity for the Australian co-operative movement to transform ‘its strategic intent and capabilities’ at a national level. While the BCCM has achieved significant successes regarding policy, it faces the lingering effects of neo-liberalism in Australia that promoted individualism and questioned the value of collective economic action at the heart of the co-operative movement. Consumer co-operatives, particularly those in retail, face a market dominated by larger supermarket chains, compounded by the arrival of Aldi. There were two major challenges that all Australian co-operatives faced in the decades before 2012 – neo-liberalism and effective national organization. The Australian co-operative movement faced significant challenges by the IYC in 2012.