How many CMEs are there in Australia?
Accurate measurement of the total number of CMEs in Australia is complicated by several factors. In the case of the co-operatives, these enterprises are legally registered across a wide range of different state, territory, and federal jurisdictions. They include the state and territory registries for those co-operatives registered under the respective state and territory Co-operative Acts, as well as those co-operatives that are registered as public companies with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), but which operate under their constitutions as co-operatives.
They also include the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC), the Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations (ORIC), Australian Business Number (ABN) and the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA). There is no single repository into which all such enterprises are recorded and as most CMEs are small, operate under different trading names, and have no online visibility, the process of tracking them becomes challenging.
Further, many don’t publicly identify as CMEs, operating under trading names that are different from their company name, or under names that don’t identify them as a “co-operative” or “mutual” enterprise. Further, the recent revision of the Corporation Act in 2019, which formally defined the term “mutual” has significantly increased the number of CMEs. For example, there are around 11,700 companies limited by guarantee registered in Australia, most of which would be legally mutual entities.
Many CMEs are headquartered in one state or territory but operate across the country. In the case of many of the co-operatives, this requires them to register multiple times with the respective state and territory registries, even when they are operating under the Co-operatives National Law (CNL). This can create some confusion over whether there are multiple separate co-operatives or just one enterprise operating across multiple jurisdictions.
Australian CME Database
Summary data on all CMEs in Australia
This database is derived from the annual ACMEI study of CMEs in Australia that is undertaken by CERU in conjunction with the Business Council of Co-operatives and Mutuals (BCCM). The data is in an EXCEL spreadsheet and is made available for academic research purposes only. For further information please contact: tim.mazzarol@uwa.edu.au