Hepburn Wind to feature on stamps

www.hepburnadvocate.com.au
22 Feb 2012

Hepburn Wind has put its stamp on 2012. The community-owned wind farm was one of nine Australian cooperatives selected to be on Australia Post stamps commemorating the United Nations International Year of Cooperatives. President of the International Cooperative Alliance, Dame Pauline Green, visited Australia this week and said co-operatives were generating profits for members and creating jobs in just about every sector of the economy.

"In the wake of the GFC, the world is looking for alternative business models to strengthen economies, generate jobs and support communities and the cooperative model is that alternative. It's viable, strong and growing," Dame Pauline said. "Running a profitable business and caring for people does not need to be a trade off, in co-operative businesses they sit comfortably side by side. "They have come through the GFC stronger than ever and, internationally, the top 300 cooperatives are worth more than US$1.6 trillion. These are serious businesses with scale.

"In Australia the economy is not just run by big corporations and big not-for-profits there is a dynamic and successful third force that could be making an even bigger contribution to the complex and pressing economic issues of our time. "Indeed cooperative businesses in Australia have more than 7.5 million customer owners and generate more than $15 billion in annual turnover. "Governments across the world need to be looking at how they can reduce red tape and ensure that taxation and accounting regimes allow shared equity to be better managed.

"For example, in Australia, the regulation of cooperatives is state-based, creating duplications and unnecessary regulatory burdens for your large national cooperative businesses," Dame Pauline said. As part of her visit, Dame Pauline launched a set of commemorative stamps in Melbourne last week, which feature nine Australian cooperative businesses. She also met with business leaders.

Cooperatives featured on Australia Post's stamps included:

• CBH Group a farmed owned co-operative in Western Australia with a turnover of $1.3 billion in 2011.
• Capricorn Society a family of 14,500 small business automotive repair shops in Western Australia with turnover of nearly $1 billion in 2011.
• Norco Cooperative a large dairy business providing products to thousands of Australian families, with a turnover of over $350 million in 2011.
• The Community Mutual Group a financial services provider to 70,000 member/owners in regional NSW.
• West Belconnen Health Co-op Australian's newest co-operative GP and health practice with 2150 local family owners providing health care to 10,500 people.
• Hepburn Wind Park Cooperative Australia's first community-owned wind farm that is expected to produce enough electricity to power 2300 local homes.
• Common Equity Housing Ltd which provides affordable housing to 5000 low income Victorians.
• Fitzroy & Carlton Community Credit Co-op which has a long history of providing local residents with banking services and help with budgeting and financial planning.
• Barossa Community Store owners of the retail precinct in Barossa providing the local community with a supermarket, hardware, department store, toys and electrical goods.