1) Primary activity of the Earthworker Cooperative
For the purposes of Part 2.6 of the Law, the primary activities of the Earthworker Co-operative are to advance the causes of justice, democracy, peace and sustainability, and to develop the social sector of the Australian economy based on co-operative principles by:
(a) building trade union, faith-based community, environmental movement and broader civil society understanding, solidarity and support for co-operative economic development;
(b) facilitating the establishment of worker co-operatives to provide dignified livelihoods, employment and training opportunities across Australia and the world, to deliver a range of socially-useful and environmentally-sustainable services and/or products;
(c) educating, developing and mutually supporting worker co-operatives that are member organisations of the co-operative;
(d) facilitating philanthropic support and social investment for worker co-operatives that are member organisations of the co-operative;
(e) facilitating mutually-beneficial sharing, protecting and commonly holding of assets of worker co-operatives that are member organisations;
(f) promoting and delivering a range of socially useful and environmentally sustainable services and products to members; and,
(g) providing avenues for civil society at large to meaningfully engage in the co-operative community, and the economy more broadly.
Note. in carrying out its activities the co-operative embodies the values and principles of the co-operative movement (as set out in the Statement of Co-operative Identity published by the International Co-operative Alliance and in the CNL).
These include the Cooperative values of of self-help, self-responsibility, democracy, equality, equity and solidarity. In the tradition of their founders, cooperative members believe in the ethical values of honesty, openness, social responsibility and caring for others.
(2) Earthworker Cooperative active membership requirements
To establish and maintain active membership of the co-operative a member must:
(a) promote cooperative principles and values and the co-operative; and,
(b) undertake cooperative development and support work for worker co-operatives that are members of the co-operative; and/or,
(c) support worker co-operatives that are members of the co-operative by purchasing their products or services; and/or,
(d) financially assist the worker co-operatives that are members of the co-operative through the purchase of shares or co-operative capital units or debentures or by providing funds philanthropically; and,
(e) pay the regular subscription (also known as a periodic membership fee) if levied by the board; and,
(f) maintain any qualifications for membership as prescribed in the Cooperative rules (constitution).
Earthworker Cooperative Qualifications for Membership
A person qualifies for membership of the co-operative if the person is able to use or contribute to the services of the co-operative and:
(1) meets all professional or educational standards, memberships, accreditation and other related requirements relating to the work of the co-operative, as determined each year by the board published at the registered office or on the website of the co-operative;
(2) pays all applicable co-operative entry fees and regular subscriptions as set out in these rules; and,
(3) agrees that all intellectual property created while participating in the co-operative belongs to the co-operative and must not be used without the permission of the co-operative;
(a) if the co-operative establishes a trust or entity for sharing, protecting and commonly holding assets, including intellectual property, of members then this trust or entity will own the intellectual property created by members of the co-operative created while participating in the co-operative.