Civil Society Australia - relationships and activities at the grass-roots of society

Civil Society comprises the relationships and activities that make up our life at grass-roots levels of society, in families, communities and voluntary associations, independent of both government and the commercial world. 

We invite you to join Civil Society Australia, Australia's peak body for civil society. Membership comprises individuals, associations, small businesses, and services who together constitute the relationships and activities of civil society.     

Civil Society comprises eight key segments:           

Family, kinship and friendship networks

Household or domestic economies

Neighbourhoods and informal social supports

Voluntary associations, self-help and support groups

NGOs and charities

Social enterprises, cooperatives and mutuals

Family farms, family enterprises, small businesses

Religion, faith and spirituality*

*note: our interest here is in the relationships and activities generated by faith or spirituality-based communities, not in endorsement or promotion of any one particular faith or spiritual tradition.
 

These diverse social forms have three features in common:

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Relational – they are defined by relationships

Associational – they are shaped by formal or informal bonds

Voluntary – they are formed without compulsion

The governing Council of Civil Society Australia is made up of three representatives of each of these eight segments of civil society. Read about the members of the Council here.