Australian Mutuals Institute (AMI): an independent, non-political group, which was formed in 1981 to provide professional development for Australia’s credit union managers.

Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC): an independent Commonwealth statutory authority that administers the Trade Practices Act 1974 (Cwth) and promotes competition and fair trade in the marketplace to benefit consumers, business and the community.

Authorised deposit-taking Institution (ADI): corporations which are authorised under the Banking Act 1959 (Cwth), including banks, building societies and credit unions, which are subject to meeting certain criteria.

Australian Financial Services Licence (AFSL): authorisation to offer and provide consumers with certain financial products and services in accordance with strict compliance standards introduced by ASIC.

Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA): a Commonwealth Government statutory authority that administers the Banking Act 1959 (Cwth) and sets standards for the prudential management of credit unions, including monitoring their lending activities.

Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC): a Commonwealth Government organisation, whose role is to protect consumers, investors and creditors through licencing and monitoring financial services organisations and their representatives. ASIC regulate credit unions as companies under the Corporations Act 2001 (Cwth).

Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO):
develops the scientific knowledge required to manage Australia's wildlife, plant and land resources for ecological sustainability.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR): the responsibility of corporations to balance the environmental, social and economic needs of all of its stakeholders.
Cost to Income Ratio: the percentage relationship between operating expenses and effective gross income.

Cuscal: an approved deposit-taking institution regulated by the Australian Prudential Regulatory Authority (APRA), which services the majority of Australia’s credit unions and acts as an industry body.

Focus Group: a small group that is selected from a wider population and sampled, through open discussion, for its opinions and responses to a particular subject.
Financial Services Reform Act 2001 (Cwth) (FSRA): legislation introduced to bring all financial services and products under one regulatory regime and to increase the level of compliance and competency. Financial advisers must hold an Australian Financial Services Licence.

Global Reporting Initiative (GRI G3): current version of global voluntary guidelines for companies to report on their sustainability performance and workplace practices.
Member: an account holder who is also a shareholder.

MOSAIC: a global brand owned by Experian, one of the world’s largest information solutions companies, based on an analysis of a number of statistical measures originating from exclusive Australian data sources.

Return on Average Assets: how much profit a company generates for each dollar of assets the company owns.

Return on Equity: how much profit a company generates for each dollar of equity invested.

Socially Responsible Banking: an approach to banking which takes into account the principles of mutuality.

Subordinated debt: debt that is either unsecured or has a lower priority than that of another debt claim on the same asset or property.

Sustainability/Sustainable Development: means adopting systematic and balanced business strategies that satisfy the economic, social and environmental performance expectations of stakeholders, while protecting, sustaining and enhancing the financial, human and natural resources that are needed to develop into the future.