As a not-for-profit incorporated association, Permaculture College Australia Inc is owned by it members. The founding members of of the association were Robyn Francis, Robert Rosen, Janelle Schafer, Lisa Yeates, Carla Tipping and Lindsay Smith-Moir.
The association was initially called Erda Institute Incorporated, and in December 2009 changed its name to Permaculture College Australia to better reflect the nature of its key operations, being vocational training and community education in permaculture and sustainability.