Girudala Community Co-operative Society

A Care Together Project

Girudala Community Co-operative Society

Project location

Bowen, Queensland

What is the market failure being addressed?

There is a shortage of care services in the area providing culturally sensitive programs to Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and South Sea Islander community members. Girudala has been in existence for 50 years but as demands for its services have increased, there has been a corresponding need to strengthen its resources.

What is the project seeking to achieve?

The co-operative currently manages affordable housing, home and community care services, homecare packages, NDIS support and Indigenous family and well-being programs and is now looking to expand its impact. Care Together is supporting Girudala in developing a robust strategic plan that focuses on enhancing membership engagement, strengthening governance and expanding services, ensuring long-term viability and sustainability.

With the assistance of Care Together, Girudala is working to create a new business model that focuses on workforce development and growth in health and social care services. A key element of the partnership is supporting Girudala in developing a strategic plan that not only strengthens its operations but could also lay the foundation for replication of its model in other similar communities across Australia. The project is focused on governance renewal, updating Girudala’s constitution to align with cooperative principles and future needs. As the project develops, the co-operative’s capacity to offer culturally responsive care while contributing to the broader goal of building a sustainable, community-driven model that can be adapted to other rural and remote regions is being enhanced.

Project update

Girudala is a project about renewal and expansion. As Girudala is already a registered co-operative, the focus has been on reviewing its existing constitution and governance structures to ensure they are fit for purpose and updated where necessary. With these strong foundations in place, the next step is to operationalise the business, positioning Girudala for sustainable growth as it expands its services while continuing to strengthen its membership base and strategic direction.

Additionally, a membership renewal strategy will be developed to ensure ongoing engagement with current members and attract new members to support the co-operative’s growth and sustainability.

A priority will be finalising strategic and business plans, which will be developed during late April/early May.