Shared Services Co-operative

A Care Together Project

Girudala Community Co-operative Society

What is the market failure being addressed?

Australians living in rural and remote areas often lack access to the same services and levels of care available to those living in capital cities and major regional centres. Among the biggest challenges for those operating in aged care and disability service provision are problems associated with distance and a lack of resources to deal with myriad regulatory and administrative responsibilities. Without these resources, many services are deemed to be unsustainable, often leaving residents with few options but to travel hundreds of kilometres to find the care they need.

What is the project seeking to achieve?

The shared services project is attempting to explore the viability of a secondary co-operative, which would provide services such as training, accounting, human resources and regulatory support to a range of co-operatives in the care sector. This would reduce operational costs for individual co-ops, allowing them to deliver services more efficiently and at a lower cost. It will ensure that existing workforce is retained and grows to meet expanding need. The potential for replication of this model across the Australian care sector is vast.

Last November the Care Together team hosted a Shared Services Workshop in Canberra, bringing together David Hammer and Katrina Kazda from the US-based Elevate Cooperative, alongside representatives from the care and co-operative sectors in regional, rural and remote Australia.

The workshop focused on shared services co-operatives in both the US and Australia, with discussions centring around the challenges of delivering care in these areas and the potential benefits of a shared services approach.

Participants explored the vision and purpose of a shared services co-operative and considered the types of services such a co-op could provide to support care providers in these regions.

By the end of the 2.5-day workshop, a clear consensus emerged. Two priority services stood out as foundational to a shared services co-op:

1. Compliance support, particularly around registration and regulation for care providers.
2. Human resources services, including recruitment and staffing solutions.

In addition to these, eight other services were identified as important for future consideration. The vision that guided these discussions was compelling: a future where every community in Australia – large or small – can access the care services they need.

The workshop outcomes formed the basis for a shared services co-op concept, which has continued to be developed. This shared services approach holds significant potential to transform care delivery in Australia’s regional, rural, and remote areas.

Quotes

“From the work we have done with communities, there is a vision that some form of shared services is actually essential to maintain the viability of care services in regional, rural and remote Australia.

“This project offers huge potential for delivery of services in communities that are often deeply disadvantaged by factors such as distance and difficulties in attracting, training and retaining staff.

“From the discussions we’ve had and the workshop, it’s become clear that the two areas where care services in remote areas most need assistance is workforce recruitment and regulatory compliance.

“What we are trying to do with the shared services co-op is really about enabling these small rural communities to continue doing what they do best, which is the relational work and the face to face service delivery and coordination, while providing them with the support they need in those areas that are challenging.  

“We are very excited about the potential offered by this co-op and its ability to be replicated geographically and across other sectors,” Gillian McFee, Program Director, Care Together