Our Mission

Cooperative Power’s mission is to address the climate crisis, unprecedented and growing inequality, and a decline in civil society participation. Our co-operative solution is to do this through delivering a range of environmentally-friendly energy services and products, facilitating democratic solutions to social and environmental problems, and assisting members and the community to transition away from fossil fuels for their energy needs.

Our first service is offering retail electricity with our product partner Energy Locals. Under our rules as a co-operative, we’re not allowed to make a profit, so we redirect the surplus from this service to meet our mission. This year, given the COVID-19 crisis we’re putting 100% of this money to addressing the COVID-19 social crisis in Australia and the Asia-Pacific region.

Our Structure

We are a non-distributing co-operative. This means there are two key parts of our organisational structure. First, we are a co-operative. We run on a one member, one vote basis as opposed to a traditional corporation that runs on a one dollar, one vote basis. Second, we are not allowed to distribute any surplus from our activities to our member-owners. We have to reinvest back into the community in ways that fulfil our mission.

Our Members

Cooperative Power is made up of member organisations that themselves must be democratic, member-led organisations including community organisations, trade unions and other co-operatives.

Our current members include:

• National Tertiary Education Union
• The Australian Services Union (Services and Authorities VIC/Tas Branch)
• The United Workers Union
• Ballarat Renewable and Zero Emissions Inc
• The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (Victorian Branch)
• Union Aid Abroad – APHEDA
• Voices of the Valley
• Earthworker Cooperative
• The Surf Coast Energy Group
• The Victorian Trades Hall Social Committee
• Friends of the Earth Melbourne
• The Energy Innovation Cooperative
• Australian Unemployed Workers Union

If you’d like your organisation to join up as a member and have a democratic say in how we fulfil our mission then feel free to contact us at hello at cooperativepower dot org dot au.