Welcome to Loconomics Australia Inc.
“Loconomics Cooperative’s mission is to use technology, shared ownership, and community to strengthen local economies.We provide tools, marketing, and community to our owners, empowering them to thrive in their work as local service professionals. We provide their clients an app where they can discover and directly schedule local service professionals safely and easily, without middle-men.” - Loconomics.com
Get Involved
As a founder - As a mentor - As a member - As a volunteer
Get Social
Follow us on Facebook: Loconomics Australia
Tweet us on Twitter: @loconomicsau
What do we do?
We support gig workers in the Darebin community through our Not For Profit activities.
What are we doing?
We are starting small. This is a tried and tested idea in the USA, loconomic.com is an active site based in California. We are trialling it in Australia, initially in Melbourne, then who knows! We are currently looking for gig workers in and around the Northern suburbs,
How can I help?
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Founders. We are looking for people to start the coop and become the founders. We need at least 5 people from the Northern Melbourne suburbs who are willing to be involved to found this innovative idea. You will be involved in the creation of the coop, attend workshops and ultimately decide on the legal framework of the coop itself.
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Service professionals. If you identify with any of the services above, or anything else, we will need your help to be the first service providers on the platform when we go live.
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NFP advice. This is a small operation and any advice is welcome.
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Marketing. It’s a big world out there. People will want to know about Loconomics Australia when we launch.
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Spread the word. Tell your friends, tell your dog. All are welcome to join and get involved.
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Join us on our Facebook group Loconomics Australia
The Seven Principles of Cooperatives
Cooperatives around the world generally operate according to the same core principles and values, adopted by the International Cooperative Alliance in 1995. The International Cooperative Alliance is a global membership association of co-ops and co-op support organizations. Cooperatives trace the roots of these principles to the first modern cooperative founded in Rochdale, England in 1844.
Principle #1: Voluntary and Open Membership
Cooperatives are voluntary organizations, open to all people able to use its services and willing to accept the responsibilities of membership, without gender, social, racial, political or religious discrimination.
Principle #2: Democratic Member Control
Cooperatives are democratic organizations controlled by their members—those who buy the goods or use the services of the cooperative—who actively participate in setting policies and making decisions.
Principle #3: Member’s Economic Participation
Members contribute equally to, and democratically control, the capital of the cooperative. This benefits members in proportion to the business they conduct with the cooperative rather than on the capital invested.
Principle #4: Autonomy and Independence
Cooperatives are autonomous, self-help organizations controlled by their members. If the co-op enters into agreements with other organizations or raises capital from external sources, it is done so based on terms that ensure democratic control by the members and maintains the cooperative’s autonomy.
Principle #5: Education, Training, and Information
Cooperatives provide education and training for members, elected representatives, managers and employees so they can contribute effectively to the development of their cooperative. Members also inform the general public about the nature and benefits of cooperatives.
Principle #6: Cooperation Among Cooperatives
Cooperatives serve their members most effectively and strengthen the cooperative movement by working together through local, national, regional and international structures.
Principle #7: Concern for Community
While focusing on member needs, cooperatives work for the sustainable development of communities through policies and programs accepted by the members.
What is a Platform Co-op?
Platform cooperativism is a growing international movement that builds a fairer future of work. It’s about social justice and the bottom line. Rooted in democratic ownership,co-op members, technologists, unionists, and freelancers create a concrete near-future alternative to the extractive sharing economy.
Making good on the early promise of the Web to decentralize the power of apps, protocols, and websites, platform co-ops allow households with low and volatile income to benefit from the shift of labor markets to the Internet. Steering clear of the belief in one-click fixes of social problems, the model is poised to vitalize people-centered innovation by joining the rich heritage and values of co-ops with emerging Internet technologies. Platform Cooperativism Consortium