Competition and Inclusion: Co-operatives’ Role in the Australian Retail, Care, and Farming Sectors

Filip Premik, Paul Thambar, Chengsi Wang, Frank Yao and Dan Yu

No 2026-02, Monash Economics Working Papers from Monash University, Department of Economics

Abstract: Co-operatives are different from standard profit-maximizing firms. They instead maximize their members’ benefits. In this report, we examine their role across three key sectors in Australia: Retail, Care, and Farming. We lay out new economic theories about this less common type of firm organization. We discuss the implications of the existence and development of co-operatives on entry, competition, inclusion, and consumer welfare. Further discussion is devoted to evaluating policies regarding co-operatives.

Keywords: Co-operatives; Ownership structure; Market entry; Regional and remote markets; Competition policy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D21 L13 L31 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026-02-19
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