Forming a co-operative
Co-operatives in New South Wales are administered under the provisions of the Co-operatives Act 1992 and the Co-operatives Regulation 2005. Links to these legislations can be found on the Co-operatives legislation page.
If you wish to register a co-operative you will need to prepare and submit certain documents to the Registry.
Prospective members, directors or employees of the co-operative can prepare these documents. However, for large scale proposals the services of an accountant or solicitor may be required.
To help you, the Registry has developed a standard set of documents that can be filled in and submitted to the Registry for approval. These consist of:
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rules (model or standard), and
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a standard disclosure statement.
On request, a kit will be sent to you. Alternatively, the documents may be viewed or downloaded from this page.
Drafting the rules
A co-operative’s rules describe the way in which the group will organise its activities. They outline areas such as the:
- name,
- primary activity,
- objectives, if any,
- conditions for active membership, and
- meeting procedures etc.
You should discuss the draft rules with your prospective members and decide on any changes before sending them to the Registry for formal approval.
Top of pageDrafting the disclosure statement
The purpose of the disclosure statement is to ensure that prospective members are adequately informed about the nature and extent of their financial involvement or liability as a member of the co-operative. It outlines areas such as the:
- purpose and main activity of the co-operative,
- members involvement in the co-operative,
- projected profit and loss,
- names of prospective directors,
- who will act as auditor,
- registered office and mailing address etc, and
- any other matter relevant to the co-operative.
Formation kit
The formation kit includes:
- How to form a co-operative
- Compliance checklist in PDF format (size: 48k)
- Co-operative directors: a guide to duties and responsibilities
- Co-operative membership
- A Guide to Co-operatives
- Translated versions of the Guide are also available in the following languages:
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A Guide to Co-operatives - (Arabic) in PDF format (size: 110k)
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A Guide to Co-operatives - (Italian) in PDF format (size: 81k)
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A Guide to Co-operatives - (Spanish) in PDF format (size: 84k)
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A Guide to Co-operatives - (Vietnamese) in PDF format (size: 104k).
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- Draft formation disclosure statements
- For non-trading co-operatives:
(non-trading co-operatives retain surplus funds to develop their activities)- Model or standard rules
- Draft disclosure statement - Non-trading co-operative in PDF format (size: 65k)
- Draft disclosure statement - Non-trading co-operative in RTF format (size: 82k).
- For trading co-operatives:
(trading co-operatives may distribute surplus funds to members)- Model rules
- Draft disclosure statement - Trading co-operative in PDF format (size: 44k)
- Draft disclosure statement - Trading co-operative in RTF format (size: 173k).
- For non-trading co-operatives:
Getting approval
It is important that, when completed, the draft rules and disclosure statement be submitted to the Registry of Co-operatives & Associations for approval. If the Registry requires further information, they will contact you.
Where should the draft formation documents be sent?
Once the rules and disclosure statement have been drafted, they should be forwarded to:
Registry of Co-operatives & Associations
PO Box 22
BATHURST NSW 2795
DX 3123 BATHURST
Formation meeting
The proposed rules and disclosure statement must be approved before the formation meeting is held.
The following fact sheets set out the suggested steps for holding a formation meeting for a new co-operative.
Formation meeting for a co-operative in PDF format (size: 32k)
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