On Monday the Australian Government released a second draft Bill to create a new capital instrument for co-operatives and mutuals.
The new legislation when fully enacted will allow co-operatives and mutuals to raise capital and compete on a level playing field with investor-owned firms. The first of the two Bills will be introduced into Parliament in the first week of December, and the second in February 2019.
Peter Hunt, Mutuo’s Managing Partner said, ‘This is the culmination of three years work with the Business Council of Co-operatives and Mutuals (BCCM), building on a carefully designed and executed political strategy.’
Success in this project will mark the seventh time that Mutuo has brought about the enactment of new legislation to improve the business environment for co-operatives and mutuals, in different jurisdictions.
BCCM Chief Executive, Melina Morrison said, ‘Today we are delighted to see the final tranche of draft legislation that will help to deliver on the Government’s promise to our sector. The bipartisan nature of this process has been very encouraging.
This will enable co-operatives and mutuals to grow and better serve Australians, whilst protecting their co-operative or mutual ownership structures.”
The consultation can be viewed here: