Dr Jo Barraket

Email: barraket@unimelb.edu.au 

Jo is a lecturer in Public Policy, Department of Political Science, at the University of Melbourne. She completed her PhD on the socio-political aspects of co-operatives at UNSW in 1999. She has been actively involved in the Australian co-operative movement, particularly consumer co-operatives, since 1993. As a Research Fellow at ACCORD from 2001-2002, Jo made a significant contribution to the centre's intellectual and research development.

Jo's research interests include: the role of civil society in social policy development; third sector networks and local governance; and traditional and emerging forms of community enterprise.

Recent Publications:

Barraket, J. (2004) "Enabling Structures for Co-ordinated Action: Community Organisations, Social Capital and Rural Community Sustainability" in Dale, A. & Onyx, J. (eds) Social Capital and Sustainable Development: The missing link? British Columbia. University of British Columbia Press [in press]

Barraket, J. (2003) "Cooperative Solutions to Rural Renewal: Building Capacity for Coordinated Action" in Third Sector Review Vol 9 (1): 25 - 40

Barraket, J. (2001) Building Sustainable Communities: Co-operative Solutions to Rural Renewal Australian Centre for Co-operative Research and Development, Sydney

Barraket, J. (2001) "Marginal Voices: Third Sector Organisations as Vehicles for Social Movement" in Third Sector Review 7 (2): 111 - 121

Peter Boland

Senior Legal Officer, Legal Services
Industrial Relations NSW Dept of Commerce
Email: peter.boland@oir.nsw.gov.au 

Peter is Senior Legal Officer, Legal Services, Industrial Relations NSW Dept of Commerce. He has extensive knowledge and experience of co-operative law and was a Senior Research Fellow at ACCORD from August 2000-May 2002.

Previously, as Manager, Legal Services, NSW Registry of Co-operatives, he was responsible for the registration of newly formed co-operatives. He developed fundraising policies for co-operatives and drafted rules for trading and non-trading co-operatives in NSW.

Peter holds a Bachelor of Laws degree, University of Technology, Sydney and a Masters of Laws degree, University of New South Wales, and is a solicitor and a Notary Public.

Recent Publications:

Applied Corporate Governance - Enforcement of the Principles of mutuality under the Corporations Act May 2002

Keeping Good Companies, Chartered Secretaries, Australia, June 2002

John Booth

LLb, FAICD JP
Email: jgbooth@westnet.com.au

Until recently John was Executive Officer of the Co-operative Federation of Western Australia Inc. In his role he promoted co-operatives and co-operative principles, and assisted with the formation and development of co-operatives (38 in six years). He published the organisation's newsletter, developed its website, and organised its annual conference. John also mentored tertiary students, in their work on co-operative projects. He represented WA on the Co-operative Council of Australia during his time with the Federation.

Robert Corben

Principal
Robert E Corben Pty Ltd
Email: recaccountants@optusnet.com.au 

Robert has been in private practice for some 25 years and was appointed by the Attorney General to the boards of the Legal Aid Commission and the Sydney Catchment Authority. His practice provides extensive accounting, taxation and financial advisory services to a client base drawn from private enterprise and not-for-profit organisations, including those receiving government funding.

He is actively involved in co-operatives and has acted as Administrator of some 12 co-operatives. Robert has lectured on financial management and the co-operative sector at seminars conducted by the Australian Society of Certified Practicing Accountants and the Chartered Institute of Accountants.

He is a Fellow, Australian Society CPA's, Fellow Institute of Secretaries and Administrators and Registered Company Auditor.

Contact:

PO Box 77 (new mailing address)
Georges Hall NSW 2198

Garry Cronan

Communications Manager
International Co-operatives Alliance (ICA), Geneva, Switzerland
Email: cronan@ica.coop 

As General Manager and Senior Research Fellow at ACCORD during the late 1990s to November 2003, Garry made a significant contribution to co-operative development in Australia. He worked closely for over 20 years with the sector and government departments responsible for their regulation. As an international speaker and writer during this time, he forged links with co-operative organisations around the world.

Garry's involvement in international research projects includes reviewing co-operative public policy and legislation for the ICA and ILO and working with colleagues from Canada and the USA on the role of government in co-operative development and regulation.

In leading the development of state-of-the-art communications for the ICA, Garry's vision is to bring greater recognition to the sector and greater co-ordination of communications efforts globally.

Recent Publications:

Ravi Shankar and Garry Cronan Second Critical Study on Co-operative Legislation and Policy Reforms, International Co-operative Alliance Regional Office for the Asia Pacific, New Delhi, 2002.

Robyn Donnelly

Manager
Legal Branch, Registry of Co-operatives and Associations
Email: robyn.donnelly@oft.commerce.nsw.gov.au 

Robyn worked as a legal aid solicitor and research assistant to the NSW Solicitor-General & Crown Advocate, and later in private practice at the NSW Bar, specialising in equity & corporate law. She took up a lecturing position at Charles Sturt University teaching finance and corporations law. She is currently working in the Legal Branch of the Registry of Co-operatives & Associations. Robyn holds a Bachelor of Commerce and Law as well as a Masters in Law.

Recent Publications:

Butterworths Questions & Answers on Corporations Law (1st edition-sole author, 2nd edition-joint authorship)

Professor Chris Doucouliagos

Professor in Economics
School of Accounting, Economics and Finance,
Faculty of Business and Law,
Deakin University Email: douc@deakin.edu.au 

Chris is a Professor in Economics at the School of Accounting, Economics and Finance, Faculty of Business and Law, Deakin University. Chris has published widely on the economics of co-operatives and labour-managed firms. He is a leading researcher on the application of meta-analytic techniques. He is currently conducting research into employee participation, trade unions and French co-operatives. Chris gained his PhD from Monash University investigating the efficiency of worker co-operatives.

Recent Publications:
Abbott, M. and Doucouliagos, C. (2001) The Rise and Decline of the New South Wales Cooperative Housing Societies, Urban Policy and Research, Vol 19, No 2, pp. 227-242.

Abbott, M. and Doucouliagos, C. (1999) A Long-Run Analysis of Cooperative Housing Societies and Housing Construction in Victoria, Australia, Australian Economic History Review, Vol 39, No 2, pp. 114-132.

Doucouliagos, C. (1997) Unemployment and Workers' Control, Review of Political Economy, 9, pp. 151-179.

Doucouliagos, C. (1996) Conformity, Replication of Design and Business Niches, Journal of Economic Behavior and Organisation, Vol 30, pp. 45-62.

Doucouliagos, C. (1996) The Static Surplus Efficiency of the LMF, CMF and Hybrid Firms, Journal of Comparative Economics, Vol 23, pp. 209-216.

Doucouliagos, C. (1995) Worker Participation and Productivity in Labor-Managed and Participatory Capitalist Firms: A Meta-Analysis, Industrial and Labor Relations Review, Vol 49, No 1, pp. 58-77.

Doucouliagos, C. (1993) The Economics of Capital Hiring Labour and Labour Hiring Capital, Annals of Public and Cooperative Economics, July, Vol 64, No 2.

Anthony Esposito

Executive Officer
Union Co-operative Society
and Secretary
Cooperative Community Council
Email: anthony.esposito@wilderness.org.au 

Anthony Esposito has worked in the field of cooperative development over the past 18 years. He is a founding and active member of the Co-operative Community Council (CCC), which was established in 1990 as a regional cooperative network in South East Queensland.

At present Anthony is the Executive Officer of the Union Co-operative Society, which has been operating for around 36 years. He provides consultative advice on the practical and theoretical aspects of co-operative development to government and non-government organisations.

Anthony is Queensland Convenor & Indigenous Projects' Officer of the Wilderness Society and Coordinator of the Queensland Conservation Council's Native Title and Protected Areas Project. He works in environment politics and on native title issues nationally, and has found co-operative development principles and practices to be of considerable value in these areas, especially in public policy development.

Recent Publications

Community Cooperatives and Co-operative Development 2002

Published and contributed numerous articles to the CCC periodicals - Council Papers, New Cooperatives and Cooperative Education Papers, 1989 - 2001.

Peter Gates

Chief Executive Officer
The Mercury Centre Co-operative Limited
Email: peter.gates@mercury.org.au 

Peter Gates is the Chief Executive Officer of The Mercury Centre Co-operative. He also runs his own Corporate Governance consultancy.

Peter served for over 18 years as a director of Australian National Credit Union, now one of Australia's largest, as well as leading skills and leadership training programs for the Credit Union Foundation Australia in a number of Pacific countries in the 90’s. Peter's previous employment was with Telstra Corporation in the areas of customer service, and information technology, where he specialised in project management and business analysis.

Among a number of activities in the community sector, Peter is also Secretary/Manager of COW Co operative Ltd, a work and employment co-operative for people with mental illnesses.

Tony Gill

Director
Co-operative Development Services Ltd
Email: cds@netconnect.com.au 

Tony Gill has a wealth of knowledge and experience in forming and managing co-operatives. Over the past 25 years, he has assisted over 60 co-operatives to form in Victoria. His experience includes: secretary/manager of 3 co-operatives and a director of 14, including the Co-operatives Council of Australia, 1994-99.

Tony is currently Director, Co-operative Development Services Ltd, a not-for-profit co-operative development agency based in Victoria. His previous appointments include: Secretary, Co-operative Federation of Victoria Ltd; Victorian Executive Officer, Australian Association of Co-operatives Ltd; and Co-operative Development Officer, Victorian Registry of Co-operatives.

Recent Publications:

The Golden Years - A History of the Co-operative Federation of Victoria Ltd 1993-99, 2004.

Australian Co-operative Links, Co-operative Development Services Ltd, 2002-2004.

The Co-operative Glossary, Co-operative Development Services Ltd, 2002.

Fuel Co-operatives in Victoria, Victorian Department of State and Regional Development, 2000.

Co-operative Directors Handbook, Co-operative Development Services Ltd, 2000.

Rural Communities Fuel Co-operative Feasibility Study, Rural City of Ararat, 1999.

Starter Kit for a Treegrowers Co-operative, Australian Forest Growers, 1999.

Chris Greenwood

Principal
Words in Time
Email: winwood@ozemail.com.au 

Chris Greenwood is a freelance writer, editor and project manager specialising in the agricultural and co-operative sectors. He was founding editor and publisher of National Co-op Update and has written articles on co-operative issues for a number of publications.

Recent Publications:

Australian Dairy Co-operatives - Planning for the future (Dairy Industry funded publication)

National Co-op Update - bi-monthly publication covering the Australian co-operative sector.

Capital raising options for Australian co-operatives (Dairy Industry funded master thesis on capital-raising)

David Griffiths

Secretary
The Co-operative Federation of Victoria
Email: cfv@australia.coop 

David Griffiths is Secretary of the Co-operative Federation of Victoria Ltd. He has a long history in co-operative development and promotion and launched, and maintains http://www.australia.coop – the first international coop portal.

David is a life member of the National Co-operative Business Association (USA) and Secretary of Co-operative Energy Ltd.

Recent Publications:
The Co-op Dictionary, Co-operative Federation of Victoria Ltd, 2003 and 2004
http://www.australia.coop/dictionary2.htm

Co-operative Contradiction – The history and experience of the Co-operative Development Program, 1981-85, http://www.australia.coop/cooperative_history.htm 2003

"Not for Us, but for All" YCW Co-operative Movement
http://www.australia.coop/cooperative_history.htm 2003

Co-operation Between Co-operatives – a history of the Co-operative Federation of Victoria Ltd
http://www.australia.coop/cooperative_history.htm 2003

What is a co-operative feasibility study?
http://www.australia.coop/feasbility_study.htm

Why do co-operatives fail as co-operatives?
http://www.australia.coop/feasbility_study.htm

And more on co-operatives...
http://www.australia.coop

Susanne Haydon

Managing Director
Susanne Haydon Enterprises Pty Ltd
Email: s_haydon@optusnet.com.au 

Susanne Haydon is currently the project coordinator on the Maleny Working Together project. Previously she was the founding director of the Cooperative Enterprise Development Centre; a member of the NSW Ministerial Cooperatives Council; and writer of the Infrastructure and Asset Management Prospectus for Stakeholders of the South-West Irrigation Scheme in Western Australia.

Recent Publications:
"Creating Jobs through Employee Owned Cooperative Enterprises: Guidebook for Business Advisers and Jobseekers" (funded by the NSW Department of Fair Trading

"Cooperative Enterprise Vision ", video produced by Susanne Haydon (funded by the NSW Department of Fair Trading)

"Employee Buyout" information booklet (funded by the NSW Department of Fair Trading and Price Waterhouse)

James (Jim) Howard

Consultant
The Co-operative Federation of QLD
Email: jha@tpg.com.au 

Jim Howard is Executive Director of the Co-operative Federation of Queensland. He has had a long history in co-operative management.

As a management consultant to co-operatives, he advises on business development, interprets and clarifies the rules of co-operatives, to balance operational, tax and management needs. His extensive experience as an accountant and tax agent, and as a former Registrar of Co-operatives, has given him significant insight and understanding of co-operatives, enabling him to share his expertise and knowledge across the sector.

Subra Jayahanthan

Office of Fair Trading (NSW)
Email: subramaniam.jayahanthan@oft.commerce.nsw.gov.au 

Subra Jayahanthan, BA PhD FAIM.
Subra's extensive experience and posts include: Deputy Commissioner, Co-operative Development, SriLanka; Registrar of Co-operatives and Friendly Societies, St Lucia, West Indies; Advisor on Co-operatives, Government of Grenada, West Indies; Chief Advisory Officer, Senior Policy Analyst, Registry of Co-operatives (NSW), and Office of Fair Trading (NSW)

Recent Publications:
"Co-operative Movement in Grenada: Administration and Development". Published by the Plunkett Foundation for Co-operative Studies England - Year Book Agricultural Co-operation, 1986.

"Aboriginal Co-operatives in New South Wales". Published by the International Co operative Alliance, Geneva – Review of International Co-operation, 1993.

"Notes for Guidance of Auditors of Co-operative Societies." Department Handbook, St Lucia.

"Guide to Arbitration Procedure." Department Handbook, St. Lucia.

Involved in the preparation of the CCH Guide to the New South Wales Co operatives Law, 1994.

"Micro-financing through Rural Co-operatives-A Sri Lankan Experience." Published by the Plunkett Foundation for Co-operative Studies England - Year Book 1999

Jill Jordan

Director
Local Economic and Enterprise Development Ltd (LEED)
Email: jjordan@sun.big.net.au


Jill is a founding member of the Co-operative Community Council. She has been manager and director of many co-operatives in Maleny over the past 25 years. Recently she worked with fellow ACCORD associate, Susanne Haydon to complete "Maleny Working Together", a research project that includes a community audit, needs analysis, strategic options plan and a sustainability profile for the Maleny district.

Jill is currently helping to set up an employee-owned company in innovative wastewater disposal.

Recent Publications:
"Community and Economic Development: Towns Shaping their Destiny" (paper published by ACCORD 2001);

"Maleny Working Together" kit – 2003 (co-authored with ACCORD Associate Susanne Haydon).

Peter Kaye

Principal Consultant
Consultgroup
Email: peter@consulting.net.au 

Peter Kaye specialises in the corporate governance of not-for-profit organisations. He has extensive experience with microfinance and micro enterprise development in the South Pacific. Peter is a member of the Editorial Board, Pacific Economic Journal, ANU; a Fellow, Institute of Financial Services; a Fellow, Institute of Company Directors; and an Associate Fellow, Australian Human Resources Institute.

Recent Publications:
Corporate Governance in Practice, published in Association Management, 2002 Micro-Enterprise Development, Series of 7 work books, AusAID 1999

Credit Union Operations Manual, (South Pacific) AusAID, 2002

Savings Clubs Operating Model, AusAID, 2002 Dispute Resolution Manual (co-authored with Jill Martin), 1994

Jenny Kent

Lecturer in Finance and Accounting
Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga
Email: jkent@csu.edu.au 

Jenny Kent is a lecturer in accounting and finance, Courses Manager and Sub-Dean (Learning and Teaching) in the Faculty of Commerce of Charles Sturt University. Her teaching has encompassed a broad range of accounting and finance subjects at undergraduate and postgraduate level for internal and distance education students.

Jenny is currently completing her doctorate in financial reporting of not-for-profit organisations. Her recently funded research projects include consideration of employment opportunities for rural young people and the impact of drought on farm families, small business and rural communities.

Helen McCall

Executive Officer
Co-operative Federation of NSW
Email: hmccall@onaustralia.com.au 

Helen McCall is Executive Officer of the Co-operative Federation of NSW. Her work involves activities to raise the profile of co-operatives in the general community. Activities include liaising with government, working on legislation, and regulatory issues, disseminating information, training and encouraging networking.

Helen co-ordinates a number of professional development seminars throughout the year for co-operative leaders and other professionals. She has been influenced by her experience as a Chartered Accountant in Sydney, where her clients included community organisations, many of which were co-operatives.

David Osgood

Secretary
The Co-operative Federation of South Australia Inc.
Email: cfsa@adam.com.au 

David has been involved in the co-operative movement in South Australia for over 35 years, and held several positions within co-operatives, from Accountant to Secretary to General Manager. He took on the position of Secretary to the Federation in 1990 after taking early retirement from the co-operative after 21 years.

He is currently a director of Herd Improvement Services of S.A. Co-operative Ltd and a Fellow of both the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators and the National Institute of Accountants.

Tony O'Shea

Email: tony.oshea@australia.coop 

Tony is Secretary, Avoca District Co-op Ltd; Chairman, Co-operative Federation of Victoria Ltd. (CFV) and member, Co-operative Council of Australia Inc.

A major part of his work as CFV Chairman is personal visits to all member co-operatives in the state, briefing them on the Federation's work, encouraging their co-operation with other co-operatives, and seeking feedback about how the Federation could help and assist them.

In the early 1970s, as Director and Secretary of a small Credit Union with no paid staff, Tony gained practical, first hand experience in how to run a Credit Union. Such experience proved invaluable, when he was later called upon to advise several Credit Unions, which were having difficulties.

Bradley Plunkett

Dept of Agricultural Economics
University of Missouri
Email: bmp98f@mizzou.edu  or gailplunkett@mchsi.com

Brad Plunkett is currently completing a PhD at the University of Missouri, Columbia in Agri-business. His dissertation topic examines farmers’ choices to integrate structure as a function of market conditions, and farmer characteristics.

Brad has worked for the Western Australian Department of Agriculture on competition policy issues including agricultural marketing arrangements, disease control regulations and professional licensing.

Dr Bill Pritchard

Senior Lecturer in Economic Geography
University of Sydney
Email: b.pritchard@geosci.usyd.edu.au 

Bill Pritchard is an economic geographer with an interest in agricultural and food industries. He has written on and researched the restructuring of dairy cooperatives and the food sector more generally.

Recent Publications:
Pritchard, B., Curtis, A., Le Heron, R. &amp Spriggs, J. (eds) (2003) The Social Dimensions of the Triple Bottom Line in Rural Australia, Bureau of Rural Sciences, Canberra.

Pritchard, B. &amp Burch, D. (2003) Agri-food Globalization in Perspective: International Restructuring in the Processing Tomato Industry, Ashgate, Aldershot.

Beer, A., Maude, A. &amp Pritchard, B. (2003), Developing Regional Australia, UNSW Press, Kensington.

Pritchard, B. &amp McManus, P. (eds) (2000), Land of Discontent: The Dynamics of Change in Rural and Regional Australia, UNSW Press, Kensington.

Pritchard, B. (1998) The emergent contours of the third food regime: evidence from Australian dairy and wheat sectors Economic Geography 74(1), pp64-74.

Pritchard, B. (1996) Restructuring in the Australian dairy industry: the reconstruction and reinvention of co-operatives, in Burch, D., Rickson, R. and Lawrence, G. (eds) Globalization and Agri-Food Restructuring: Perspectives from the Australasian Region, Avebury, Aldershot, pp 139-152.

Pritchard, B. (1996) Shifts in food regimes and the place of producer co-operatives: insights from the Australian and United States dairy industries Environment and Planning A, 28, pp 857-75.

Karine Shellshear

Executive Officer
Association to Resource Housing Co-operatives (ARCH)
Email: karine@arch.asn.au 

Karine Shellshear is Executive Officer of the Association to Resource Co-operative Housing (ARCH). ARCH is a peak body for housing co-ops in NSW. It acts as a development catalyst, provides training and education programs to tenant members, represents and advocates for the sector in policy development, and is examining the capacity for community renewal on new estates, using the Co-operative Housing Model as an option.

Karine has an Honours Degree in Social Studies and a Master of Housing with Honours. She has produced a wide range of articles and papers related to co-operative housing in NSW.

Recent Publications:
Master's thesis: An Exploration of Social Capital and Meaning of Home within a Tongan Housing Co-operative (case study). The paper is available on ACCORD’s website: www.accord.org.au/publications

John Spriggs

Professor of Regional Development
University of Canberra
Email: John.Spriggs@canberra.edu.au 

Professor at the Institute of Regional Community Development, University of Canberra. Professional interests include sustainable community development, socio-economic change, agribusiness marketing, supply chain management and agricultural economics.

Professor Spriggs is currently working on a three-year project to improve the marketing system for fresh produce of the Highlands of PNG. The project will attempt to develop a producer cooperative for the PNG Highlands.

Recent Publications:
Pritchard, Bill, Allan Curtis, John Spriggs and Richard Le Heron (editors), 2003. Social Dimensions of the Triple Bottom Line in Rural Australia, Bureau of Rural Sciences, Australian Government: Canberra.

Chambers, Barbara and John Spriggs, 2002. Putting the Community in Regional Community Development, paper presented at SEGRA 2002 (A Conference on Sustainable Economic Growth for Rural Australia), published on CD-ROM, Queanbeyan, December.

Chambers Barbara, John Spriggs and Tony Dunn (2001). Scoping out a socio-economic research agenda for the Co-operative Research Centre for Sustainable Rice Production, A Report to the CRC for Sustainable Rice Production.

Jayo Wickremarachchi

Senior Policy Officer
System Development & Planning
Department of Ageing
Disability and Home Care (DADHC)
Metro North Region
Email: Jayo.WICKREMARACHCHI@dadhc.nsw.gov.au 

Jayo is the Senior Policy Officer, System Development & Planning, Department of Ageing, Disability and Home Care (DADHC), Metro North Region. He has been actively involved in co-operative development and policy work for more than a decade, including 9 years at the NSW Registry of Co-operatives.

In 1995 Jayo created the NSW Co-operative's Website, one of the first government sites in Australia, and one of the first international co-operative sites. From 1999 to 2002 he was seconded to ACCORD, as a Senior Research Fellow and re-joined the Registry in 2002 as Principal Policy Officer.

Jayo holds a Bachelor of Science Degree with a major in Mathematics, from the University of Ceylon and a Post-Graduate Diploma in Policy Studies from the University of NSW.

Recent Publications:

Wickremarachchi, Jayo and Passey, Andrew (2003). State of the Sector: New South Wales Co-operatives 1990-2000. Australian Centre for Co-operative Research and Development, Sydney.

Wickremarachchi, Jayo (2003). New Co-operatives: Motivations and Barriers. Australian Centre for Co-operative Research and Development, Sydney.

Cronan, Garry and Wickremarachchi, Jayo (2000). A study of co-operative development and government-sector relations in Australia in: Fairbairn, Brett (Ed.) (1999) Co-operative Development and the State: Case Studies and Analysis, Saskatchewan Co-op Centre, University of Saskatchewan and Co-operatives Secretariat, Canada.