Care Together e-news January 2026

28 January 2026

If you missed receiving our January Care Together e-newsletter, don’t despair. You can catch up on all of our news below. Sign up at the bottom of the page to receive our next e-news.

Update

As we begin a new year, the Care Together community enters an exciting new phase – one built on the strength, vision and commitment of local leaders across Australia.

Over the past twelve months, we have seen ideas become action, collaborations become co-operatives and local leadership flourish in ways that continue to inspire us. With Phase One complete, the work ahead is clear and exciting.

Phase Two of the Care Together program, running until August 2026, will focus on bringing this work to life: operationalising the national shared services co-operative; supporting the newly registered Murrumbidgee Aged Care Network Shared Services Co-operative; engaging two new regions to replicate the model; and strengthening the long-term sustainability of Care Together projects across the country.

We are also committed to ensuring that the tools and digital resources developed through this program continue to evolve. The new shared services co-op’s website will become the central hub for these assets – supporting co-operatives, care organisations and communities well beyond the life of the program. Alongside this, research and evaluation led by Monash University will continue to deepen our understanding of what community-led care makes possible.

Over the last month, we have proudly launched five new videos – four new co-op stories and the story of Care Together – capturing the leadership, innovation and courage of communities who are reshaping what care can look like. These short films showcase the heart of the care co-op movement – people working together to build solutions that are local, practical and deeply rooted in community wisdom. Thank you to Cornel Ozies and Lucille Schnierer of Gunada Productions for their exceptionally visual storytelling.

As we begin 2026, we want to thank you for your partnership, your passion, and your belief in what’s possible when communities lead. We look forward to continuing this important work with you in the year ahead.

Care Together Team

Building better care, together

Discover the story of Care Together – watch A co-operative future of care: Care Together Program.

Behind every co-operative is a community determined to create something better. Our four short films share the stories, challenges and successes of the people at the heart of Care Together.

Meet four of our Care Together projects

Care workers in Eurobodalla are building something powerful: a worker-owned co-operative that keeps support local, improves job security and strengthens care for the whole community. Watch Eurobodalla Community Care Co-op’s story. 

Small aged care homes across the Murrumbidgee region are joining forces to stay viable, strengthen local care and keep older residents close to home. Watch the Murrumbidgee Aged Care Network Co-operative’s story.

In Wagin WA, a small community came together to reimagine aged care – creating a co-operative that keeps care local, personal and community-owned. Watch the story of Co-operative Care Wagin.

In Bowen and the Whitsundays, Girudala Community Co-operative Society has been strengthening community for generations – providing housing, wellbeing, and holistic care shaped by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and self-determination. Watch Girudala Co-op’s story.