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Electrical Trades Union Queensland and Northern Territory

Electrical Worker

JULY 2023 | VOLUME 103

Biennial Conference 2023 May Day 2023 in pictures Labour Day Award winners

pg 17 pg 26 pg 32

CONTACTS REGISTERED STATE OFFICE: BRISBANE SECRETARY: Peter Ong 0419 721 046 PRESIDENT: Jason Young 0419 721 044 ASST SECRETARY: Stuart Traill 0488 225 625 ASST SECRETARY: Chris Lynch 0407 510 329

petero@etu.org.au jason@etu.org.au stuart@etu.org.au chris@etu.org.au

BRISBANE ORGANISERS Wendel Moloney Scott Reichmann James Little Brenton Muller Steve Bravo Luke Ellis

0409 769 625 0437 184 399 0417 670 821 0428 392 935 0437 798 007 0456 592 084

wendel@etu.org.au sjr@etu.org.au jimmy@etu.org.au brenton@etu.org.au steveb@etu.org.au luke@etu.org.au

INDUSTRIAL OFFICERS Lisa Midson Margarita Cerrato Kait Teague

0456 849 544 0419 382 192 0484 265 162

lisa@etu.org.au margarita@etu.org.au kait@etu.org.au

TRAINING OFFICER Rebecca Keys

0404 887 408

MEDIA & RESEARCH media@etu.org.au Andrew Irvine Kristin Perissinotto

0429 535 860 0448 633 858

HONORARY MEMBERS GROUP CHAIRPERSON Gordon Abbott 0438 320 187

SUNSHINE COAST & WIDE BAY OFFICE Dan Bessell 0437 184 315 6/33 Bulcock Street, Caloundra Qld 4551 P 07 5341 8927 F 07 5341 8953

ASST. SECRETARY: STUART TRAILL

ASST. SECRETARY: CHRIS LYNCH

PRESIDENT: JASON YOUNG

TERRITORY UPDATE: STRAWBS

GENERAL TRADE & GOV: SCOTT REICHMAN

CONTRACTING: JIMMY LITTLE & WENDEL MOLONEY

MACKAY UPDATE: THOMMO

GOLD COAST UPDATE: BEAU MALONE

APPRENTICE UPDATE: LUKE ELLIS

TOOWOOMBA & SW QLD: DAMIAN HEWAT

andrew@etu.org.au kristin@etu.org.au

NORTH QUEENSLAND: LIAM SHARKEY

FAR NORTH QUEENSLAND: ROB HILL

gordon.abbott@etu.org.au

CENTRAL QUEENSLAND: SHAWN HIGGINS

LIFTS: STEVE BRAVO

35TH BIENNIAL CONFERENCE WRAP UP

ETU SAYS 'YES' TO THE VOICE

FIRST-TIME CONFERENCE DELEGATES

LAST CONFERENCE FOR MICK SCHRIA

MAY DAY IN PICTURES

INTERNATIONAL WORKERS MEMORIAL DAY

NATIONAL APPRENTICE CONFERENCE

LABOUR DAY AWARDS

CALL OUT FOR NOT4SALE MEMORABILIA

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT: 1 YEAR IN

25 YEARS ON FROM 1998 MUA DISPUTE

damian@etu.org.au

daniel@etu.org.au

CENTRAL QUEENSLAND OFFICE Shawn Higgins 0448 633 579 shawn@etu.org.au Union House, 178 Quay Street Rockhampton Qld 4700 P 07 4927 7587 F 07 4927 9180 MACKAY OFFICE Craig Thomas 0419 721 029 thommo@etu.org.au Qld Council of Unions, 41 Brisbane St, Mackay 4740 P 07 4953 4799 F 07 4953 4899 NORTH QUEENSLAND OFFICE Liam Sharkey 0498 278 976 liam@etu.org.au 64 Ross River Rd, Mundingburra (PO Box 5800) Townsville 4812 P 07 4728 2443 F 07 4728 2907 FAR NORTH QUEENSLAND OFFICE Robert Hill 0430 072 049 25/25 Grafton Street, Cairns P 07 4051 3472 F 07 40513502

CONTENTS FROM THE SECRETARY: PETER ONG

GOLD COAST OFFICE Beau Malone 0430 824 609 beau@etu.org.au Queensland Teachers Union 6/173-175 Varsity Parade, Varsity Lakes QLD 4227 TOOWOOMBA OFFICE Damian Hewatt 0437 012 451 19 Russell Street, Toowoomba P 07 4638 9313 F 07 4639 2810

The Official Organ of the COMMUNICATIONS, ELECTRICAL, ELECTRONIC, INFORMATION, ENERGY, POSTAL, PLUMBING AND ALLIED SERVICES UNION of Australia (Electrical Division)

robert@etu.org.au

NORTHERN TERRITORY OFFICE Dave "Strawbs" Hayes 0419 721 042 strawbs@etu.org.au First Floor 38 Woods Street (PO Box 4053) Darwin NT 0801 P 08 8941 2300 F 08 8981 1770

41 Peel Street South Brisbane 4101 P 07 3846 2477 F 07 3844 9851 E info@etu.org.au 1800 ETU YES (1800 388 937) www.etu.org.au

Follow the ETU on social media: @etuqldnt

EDITOR EDITOR CONTRIBUTIONS JOURNAL ENQUIRIES ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES

Peter Ong Andrew Irvine & Kristin Perissinotto (07) 3846 2477 (07) 3846 2477

Contributions from our members of articles and photos for this journal are always welcome. Please email materials to media@etu.org.au.

FROM THE THE FROM SECRETARY SECRETARY Welcome to this, the 103rd edition of the Electrical Worker, after our successful 35th Biennial Conference where more than 130 delegates from across Queensland and the Northern Territory gathered with officials and guests to discuss and debate the union’s direction for the next two years. The three-day conference also saw the welcome return of overseas guests, among them our staunch Danish comrade Jorgen Juul Rassmussen, who first started attending our conferences in 2012. Jorgen recently stepped down as general secretary of DEF after 16 years and I joined conference in thanking him for his unwavering international solidarity.

Four years of challenges and achievements

Internally over the past four years our union has gone through some trauma with the loss of some valued and much-loved comrades. We remember Simmo who was lost to melanoma at just 57 years (get your skin checked), we also lost life member and long-time executive member Jeff Christoffel, organiser Greg ‘Haro’ Harris and the face and heart of the Not4Sale campaign Tony Barry. To all our fallen comrades – RIP. Elsewhere in the union we have seen new organisers and industrial officers stepping up and some stalwarts saying goodbye. Over the past four years we have seen the creation of new committees, First Nations, Old School and Women’s and the strengthening of existing ones with the Youth Crew growing from strength to strength. On the industrial front, during the COVID years we worked hard to ensure our members did not go backwards and we lobbied hard for better safety, fair pay and more opportunities for apprentices, while we kept up the pressure to ensure we still had a majority state owned electricity system no matter what. We also launched the Set Fire to Labour Hire campaign aimed at achieving Same Job Same Pay provisions.

ONGY AND JORGEN Following a rousing Welcome to Country from Luther and the Yugembeh Aboriginal dancers, the conference was officially opened by state minister Mick de Brenni, who thanked the union for our Not4Sale campaign that created the foundation for many good things to come, including the Queensland Energy and Jobs Plan. After the speech, delegates got down to business with more than 25 initiatives and agenda items to debate, along with special guest speeches and interactive panel discussions (see pages 17 to 24 for reports and insights). The conference was a fantastic display of union democracy where debates were held with passion and respect. At the conference dinner, we presented three Outstanding Members Awards to Cam Humphreys, Clarke Stein, and Greg Bloom, and we also acknowledged the contribution of Keith “Macca” McKenzie with a recognition award, you can read a little about them on pages 18 to 19. In July this year, as we do every four years, the branch holds our Quadrennial elections to elect the leadership team to take us through the next four years. As always, we have an endorsed ticket who understands there is no greater privilege to be had than representing workers. I believe the team we currently have including elected officials, Sub Branches, State Councillors, Biennial Conference delegates industrial officers and all the staff who make this union hum is the right mix to guide our great union through the exciting times to come. When I look back at the last four years to say it’s been a rollercoaster is an understatement, in 2019 we held our Biennial Conference two days after Labor lost the unlosable federal election and within months we faced IR changes that would have made John Howard blush with the so-called Ensuring Integrity legislation, throw in a once in a century pandemic and some wage freeze threats and you had the makings of some significant stress. But in true ETU style, we took the challenges front on, we innovated, and we organised, by the time 2021 came around we could see some lights at the end of the tunnel. The Union movement had seen of the worst of Morrison’s IR attacks and the Queensland and NT ALP governments were returned with larger majorities.

Over the past two years post the worst of COVID we have achieved some significant success across many industries, here is just a snap shot of some of the outcomes.

World’s first energy workers’ charter, signed in Queensland. State and federal energy plans that put money and resources where they are needed. Construction of a state-of-the-art renewables training facility in partnership with Electrogroup and Master Electricians. Playing a crucial role in winning the right for Queenslanders to die with dignity with the introduction of voluntary assisted dying laws

ONGY SIGNS THE WORKERS' CHARTER

The past two years have seen some exceptional outcomes for our members across industries and the state and territory. Here’s a few examples where we fought, and we won.

Mater Health Services – a campaign to savour – all the elements for success; political, industrial, media, community and legal, led to wage parity and respect. UGL St Lucia – picket lines and community support help secure decent agreement. Rio Tinto – Gove – standing tall for all. Rio Tinto – QAL TMR. QBuild and QHealth- state government sector, earning respect and well deserved pay increases. NT Government PowerWater and TGen, thawed the freeze BMA NECA and MRAEL – massive wins for apprentices. And many more...

Getting the transition to renewables right will be crucial Acting national secretary Michael Wright summed up the massive role our members will play in the coming years when he addressed our Biennial Conference when he said: “for the next 30 years we are the main game, when people talk about getting to net zero, they are talking about actual work that will be done by ETU members.” And he is spot on, from the transmission lines required to transport power to where it is needed, to the construction and maintenance of renewable infrastructure, electric vehicle charging, battery storage, and hydropower stations, if it’s to do with energy, our members will be there front and center. After 10 years of inaction under the LNP at a federal level, we finally have a national plan to cut emissions and importantly transform our electricity system, the federal plan complements the Queensland Jobs and Energy plan. The QJEP includes the world’s first Energy Workers Charter which puts workers and communities that could be affected by the transition to renewable energy at the forefront of any plans, it puts the meat on the bones of the “just” in just transition. What is for sure is the juggernaut that is the transition to renewables is not going to stop, in fact, it will accelerate from here on in. There is no doubt the transition will put pressure on already stretched resources and this is why there is a crucial role for unions, governments, communities and industry to deal with issues now. As I see it the critical issues will be in no particular order; workforce shortages, skills deficits, supply chain issues, community backlash, poor planning, and workplace safety standards. While many of these are decades in the making, they will need urgent action now.

DOWNER WORKERS ON STRIKE IN TOWNSVILLE In the past two years we have seen ETU members and the union recognised for outstanding activism and commitment with a variety of awards.

Thor Anderson – QCU NAIDOC Dr Robert ‘Uncle Bob’ Anderson Award For Outstanding Indigenous Activist 2021 and Activist Of The Year Labour Day Award Highly Commended 2023 Yungabaljarri Yanner - QCU NAIDOC Dr Robert ‘Uncle Bob’ Anderson Highly Commended Indigenous Activist Award 2022 Iyesha Paull – ETU National Apprentice Of The Year Award 2022 Jason Constable – ETU National Apprentice Of The Year Highly Commended 2021 ETU Anti Racism Video – They Will Not Divide Us…We All Belong – Joint Winner Of QCU Best Community Campaign, Labour Day Awards 2021. Pat Rogers – Winner Of the Kath Nelson Award an award given to women unionists to recognise their contribution to the Union Movement in Queensland – Labour Day Awards 2023 Voluntary Assisted Dying Campaign – Winner Of Best Community Campaign Labour Day Awards 2023 State Govt Trades Bargaining Campaign – Highly Commended Best Industry Campaign Labour Day Awards 2023

From a union perspective, we have and will continue to work tirelessly to ensure training is provided to the highest level to not only protect our trade and our licenses, but enhance them through state-of-the-art training modules and facilities (like the Renewable Energy Training Facility at Pinkenba) that will equip new workers with the skills needed to meet the challenges of the future while also encouraging upskilling and reskilling of existing workers. It is estimated that across Australia we will need between 70,000 and 100,000 extra electrical workers over the next thirty years to meet the net zero target. That’s a lot of ETU members to sign up! As always, I encourage all members to enjoy reading the journal it is jampacked with stories about what makes our union so strong. One of the great things about our union is the diversity of our members, on pages 22-24 we talk to four first-timers to the conference. and learn a little about their journey. In contrast, we also have a chat with ETU legend Micky Scriha, a veteran of 18 Biennial Conferences, and learn a little about what makes him tick and his memories. We hear what the Voice means to our First Nations members Thor and Tommy on page 21 and we talk to apprentices who trekked to Canberra to speak truth to power on pages 30-31. Over the coming decade, we are going to see major changes to our work fronts as we transition into a renewable future. It will bring opportunities and challenges, and as a branch, we need to make sure that we position ourselves to take these challenges head-on and make the most of the opportunities for our members, their families, and their communities.

IF YOU DON'T FIGHT, YOU LOSE!

Ongy

ASSISTANT SUPPLY INDUSTRY

Comrades, The 2015 Queensland election was the moment that Queensland voters set the example for the rest of the country, they overwhelmingly rejected privatisation of our power assets and threw out the Newman government despite them having the greatest majority of any government in our history. If Newman was re-elected, our industry would have been sold to offshore investors, many of our depots would have been closed and we would have lost 1000s of jobs. Since that day, a hell of a lot has changed for the better in the industry. Following the last AER determination for Energex and Ergon which failed to address the critical maintenance that needed to be done on the networks to get them to a safe and reliable standard we insisted the maintenance still needed to be done which then led to budget cuts in other areas such as property, fleet, training, and apprentice management. Despite our arguments that this wasn’t sustainable, management refused to listen. Powerlink took a conservative submission to the AER and didn’t foresee the enormous growth needed to deliver on renewable energy targets which would require significant investment and expansion of the Transmission network. Unsurprisingly, Powerlink and Energy Queensland couldn’t adapt quickly to the inevitable growth phase. As always, the ETU showed them the way forward.

Queensland is the fastest growing state by population, with approximately 2% per annum growth. Thousands of people are moving here every week, which requires more connections and more electricity infrastructure. We also have the infrastructure to build for the 2032 Olympics which will require a significant rebuild and upgrade of Southeast Queensland Infrastructure. In the last eight years, our union has led from the front to ensure that our members and their communities futures are ensured and that we have the electricity network to reduce emissions to help address the impacts of climate change, delivering clean, reliable and as affordable as possible electricity provided by ETU members in the generation, transmission and distribution industries. This industry has historically seen short term boom and bust cycles, we are now entering at least 20 years of growth that we haven’t seen before. We are already seeing significant recruitment across the industry and all employers are struggling to attract and retain staff due to critical skill shortages and better wages and conditions being offered elsewhere. The large projects like the 2GW Borumba Dam pumped hydro will commence in 2024 and will be followed by the world’s largest 5GW Pioneer/Burdekin Pumped Hydro so the requirement to start training the next generation of ETU members must start now. 25% of the field workforce are over the age of 50 and will likely retire in the middle of this boom so the escalation of apprentice training is critical if we are to deliver this work.

ENERGY QUEENSLAND GEARS UP FOR NEGOTIATIONS

We have led the charge securing a significant increase in apprentice numbers in the industry, within the upcoming 5 years Energy Queensland will be increasing to 1000 at all times and we have secured 41 at Powerlink. The next Electricity Supply Industry EBA campaign gives us the best opportunity to deliver the much-needed attraction and retention incentives. Energy Queensland, Powerlink, and the contractors EBAs all expire early next year so the entire Industry will be fighting to achieve the best wages and conditions to ensure we have the ETU members to build, operate and maintain the power industry of the future. ETU members should be proud of our collective achievements in this industry, we have maintained public ownership of our assets, we have fought for our future industry and jobs, we have delivered job opportunities and we have the best delegate structures in the country. Victory to the ETU!

Stuey

Stuart

In September 2022, the Palaszczuk Government released the Queensland Energy and Jobs Plan (QEJP). The QEJP sets out a path to transform the power system by 2035 with over $62 billion of estimated capital projects to be funded across public and private sectors. The workers charter outlines the details to ensure that no worker or community is left behind in this transition. The QEJP requires a major rebuild of the Transmission network from 275kV to 500kV with 1500km of new transmission lines. These numbers don’t consider the likely Copperstring project which is 1100km of transmission line from Townsville to Mount Isa.

aill Tr

SECRETARIES CONTRACTING State Contracting Agreement

As this journal goes to print, we have just held the Contracting Delegates Conference and all delegates have endorsed the drafted State Contracting Agreement. Members put forward the Log of Claims, and the agreement is in great shape, with a number of changes that will significantly improve conditions for members in the industry. We will hold a mass meeting in midJuly where all members will be able to vote on the drafted agreement, and the outcome will determine whether it will be endorsed. It’s a three-year agreement, with a 2% increase on signing, and 5% increase on 1 July for 2024, 2025, and 2026, and a 5% increase to allowances. Some notable changes include: Maternity Leave 26 weeks paid maternity leave, which will include the 18 weeks governmentfunded leave (which will be increasing over the coming years), where the employer will ‘top up’ the payment to equal usual rates, and fully fund the remaining eight weeks. Leave will be paid with superannuation. Parental/Partner Leave Six weeks of paid leave for the secondary parent, which will include the two weeks government-funded leave, where the employer will ‘top up’ the payment to equal usual rates, and fully fund the remaining four weeks. Leave will be paid with superannuation. This leave entitlement will be an industry-first and will be up there with the best parental/partner leave entitlements in the country. Returning clauses removed under ABCC Many clauses and wording regarding subcontractors and labour hire were removed after being made illegal by the LNP governments’ ABCC and Building Code. In this agreement, those clauses will be returned. Over 50s ratios A clause to ensure tradespeople over the age of 50 are given opportunities for employment has been added to the new EBA. This clause will of course mean that more experienced tradespeople are not faced with discrimination in the hiring process. It also has the added benefit of ensuring that older members who have been through previous industrial campaigns can pass on union knowledge, history, and strategies to younger members. First Nations clause The clause is as follows: First Nations Employment and Recognition The Employer recognises that there is a significant population of First Nations People within Queensland. The Employer shall use its best endeavours to employ a minimum of 5% of its total workforce who identify as First Nations People.

c) Ensure active skill and career development and support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Employees. Super and Income Protection The default superannuation fund will now be CBus following significant issues with Brighter Super (formerly Energy Super) that have been ongoing for some time. We are confident that Cbus is a reliable super fund for members should they choose to sign up. Windsor Income Protection (WIP) is to cover income protection in the new agreement. Super and Income Protection The default superannuation fund will now be CBus following significant issues with Brighter Super (formerly Energy Super) that have been ongoing for some time. We are confident that Cbus is a reliable super fund for members should they choose to sign up. Windsor Income Protection (WIP) is to cover income protection in the new agreement.

Best Practice Industry Conditions (BPICs) We are hoping all projects in education, health, TMR, and all government departments will come under the one BPICs document, which will be based on our upcoming contracting state agreement. The initial iteration of BPICs would have seen separate conditions for health projects, renewables, etc. We are currently trying to guide the government into using just one set of BPICs across all industries. BPICs ensuring decent wages and conditions for ETU members. Apart from these two significant projects there are also many other projects in the renewable energy space that have either begun or are in the pipeline across the state including wind farms, pumped hydro, hydrogen development and community and large-scale battery storage projects. The future is now, the transition to a renewable, sustainable future is in full swing and the demand for skilled workers will only get bigger as Queensland ramps up to 70% renewables by 2032.

Olympics The upcoming Brisbane Olympics will mean a lot of work coming up in the region, with significant infrastructure projects and expansions. The federal government recently announced half a billion dollars of funding for sports infrastructure in Queensland. If managed properly, this is a huge opportunity for our industry.

Lynchy

The Employer recognises that a supportive working environment for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people requires the redress of racism, social justice, exploitation and employment inequality. Reflecting the parties’ commitment to the principles of Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander self determination, social and restorative justice and cultural affirmation the Employer will: a) Ensure increasing First Nations employment targets in consultation with community organisations and the union. b) Each Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Employee is entitled to an additional 5 days paid leave for participation in cultural and ceremonial activities. Where additional leave is required access to annual and unpaid leave will be available to be taken.

Chris

The Employer will ensure that all Employees receive cultural awareness training as part of the induction process to ensure that all workers are made aware of the history and spiritual connection that traditional owners have with each area where the work takes place.

nch Ly

PRESIDENT Biennial Conference

The 35th Biennial Conference has just recently wrapped up as I write this, and it was a highly successful conference with lively debate and a strong list of resolutions that will steer our union through the next two years and into the future. I'd like to extend a huge thank you to all delegates who attended and contributed. Read more about the conference on page 17.

Generation Two years ago we all sat here when the largest energy incident in Queensland’s history occurred, when unit C3 at Callide Power Station exploded, taking out unit C4 and sending a ripple into the grid that forced almost all units across the state to come offline. Thanks to the hard work of ETU members, the units were brought online quickly and minimised the damage to a single day of issues for the network. The fallout for Callide workers was very different. C3 was destroyed in the explosion and caused extensive damage to the site. Thankfully no one was injured, I don’t know how! The units at Callide are progressively getting fixed now, but the legacy of that explosion is still around. There are constant legal battles between regulators, insurance companies and CS Energy that require our members to give evidence. This issue will end soon enough and C3 and C4 will return to full and proper operation. What has come out of this incident has been highlighting to the Queensland government how vital a role our members in coal fired power stations are and how they need to be heard on all matters involving their industry.

As we sit here we have two very different approaches to wages and conditions being applied in the rail network to address the issues above. Aurizon, traditionally one of the worst employers in the industry, taking responsible steps now to address the skills shortage through wage increases and the like. All the while QR is still heavily held back by the inflexible wages policy of the state government. We now have so few fully qualified rail electrical rail workers that should just a couple more leave to seek better wages and conditions, the suburban network may have to have line closures! We have taken so many fixes to both QR and the government that we are left with no further approaches other than industrial action. Normally this is one of the first things we do, but if we take too much action it has the ability to allow the government and/or QR top shift the blame and FAIL to address the real issues. We are in an interesting time in the rail industry but I am pleased to say the membership are fully up for the fight, no matter what that looks like, to both seek better wages and conditions, but to also keep their industry safe.

Jason Y

ng ou

Thankfully, after the incident and a LOT of campaigning and pressure from the whole ETU, we now have a plan to ensure that the workers in these power stations will have a strong say in how their futures, as well as the future of generation in Queensland is shaped. This has been enshrined in the world first WORKERS CHARTER. The next few years look tough in some ways but equally as promising and it’s our role to ensure we are driving the change.

Rail

The rail industry is still reeling from the savage cuts led by the Newman government and then not addressed by the current ALP government. During Newman’s era, he cut so many jobs that the network was forced to utilise contractors. When the ALP government came to power they largely reduced the contractor numbers (but not completely) they didn’t however, start to rebuild the cut worker numbers. This with successive hard wage policies that haven’t allowed for attraction and region to be a key where needed, has caused what is now, the worst skills shortage in the rail industry I have ever seen. While there are significant issues exacerbating this like Cross River Rail and other major rail projects, it is largely the fault of poor planning from Queensland Rail (QR) and inflexible policies from the government.

Youngy

TERRITORY UPDATE

POWERWATER AND TERRITORY GENERATION

A HARD WON CAMPAIGN FOR THE NT PUBLIC SECTOR

To cut a very long (2 year) story short, that could take up pages of words, after a sustained ‘NO TO ZERO’ industrial campaign by all NT unions, on 5 October the NT government announced a change to their wages policy, enabling a 2% compounding pay rise as the basis of negotiations and ending their proposed 4-year wage freeze. This change fell well short of addressing current cost of living concerns, and we returned to the bargaining table to pursue the many claims that remained outstanding. We’d like to thank the NT government for lighting the fire in the NT pubic service and facilitating the training of thousands of workers on how to take industrial action, and how to do it well...sarcasm. This round of EAs and the knowledge and strength our membership has will hold us in good stead for future campaigns. More than six months of widespread protected industrial action took place across both organisations, causing major disruptions, and we would argue, major cost implications. In a slow process (due to an under-resourced Office of the Commissioner for Public Employment (OCPE), both Power Water Corporation (PWC) and Territory Generation (TGen) decision makers were conspicuous in their absence from the bargaining table, you would have thought given the disruption taking place across both organisations that some urgency from senior management to get a deal done would have been shown. There needs to be a serious look by the government at accountability in these publicly owned corporations. This lack of urgency only strengthened the resolve of our members throughout the whole campaign. In early April we reached in principle agreement with the OCPE, PWC and TGen and withdrew our industrial action, only to have to put our action notices back in when the government were potentially not going to sign off on the deal. State secretary Peter Ong flew into Darwin to head some highlevel meetings which saw the deal get over the line. The PWC agreement went to vote in the last week of May, and we saw a great voter turnout (80+%) and even better vote outcome, with a solid 98.6% voting YES. It’s important to finish the job off properly with these strong figures, as it keeps the employers on notice for next time.

VENTIA DEFENCE FM EA and NILSEN NT EA Ventia Defence FM EA and Nilsen NT are putting forward substandard offers to our members. As usual, we have big organisations coming to the table with bugger all to offer the employees that make them money. We are heading down the path of industrial action campaigns at both companies. There’ll be more to report in the next issue.

Northern Territory Trade Awards Its awards time of year in the NT, with many of our tradespersons and apprentices kicking goals in their respective trades and being recognised for their great work. In a couple of top-notch events held in Darwin recently, with huge stakeholder participation, it was great to see some of our members awarded for their achievements in their workplaces. At the Women In Resources Inc awards night, Lindsay Gearrard from INPEX took out the Winner of the Outstanding Tradeswomen/Operator/Technician Award.

We are in the final drafting stages with TGen and hope to get that out to vote in the coming weeks.

At the Group Training Northern Territory (GTNT) awards night, we had several members recognised as finalists in their respective categories.

The EAs see some great inclusions with an extra week of annual leave being secured, now 6 weeks across the board, good pay and allowance increases, many new progressive provisions and improvements, strengthened use of contractor’s clauses across all classifications, resourcing clause provisions, plenty of small items fixed up, and the introduction of a 36.75hr working week in the final year (currently 37.5hrs). We will need member participation on review panels and committees to really make the most of some of the great clause inclusions that have been achieved.

Brieanna McSweeny from Territory Generation - Finalist NT Apprentice of the Year Certificate III in Electrotechnology Electrician.

I want to thank our members across the entire Territory for sticking together and holding the line relentlessly when bans were in place. It was frustrating at times for all, but without that pressure being applied, we wouldn’t have achieved this outcome.

A member-driven battle that sees our public sector employees in pretty good shape going forward.

Patrick Lucchese from PowerWater - Finalist Outstanding Apprentice of the Year - Stage 1 Certificate III in ESI – Power Systems – Distribution Overhead Congrats to all and all the best for your futures.

Strawbs

D ayes eH av

Thanks to the bargaining reps who have put in a power of time and effort and ran strong arguments at the table on behalf of all members, and to our ETU industrial officers, especially Margarita, who did a monumental amount of work in the background ensuring our industrial action could run smoothly, always provided great advice and kept everything legal. Every employee at TGen and PWC should be a union member, and this campaign shows what we can achieve. Ensure that the person you’re working with is paid up and proud as well.

Elisha Wright from Territory Generation - Finalist Outstanding Apprentice of the Year - Stage 3 Certificate III in Engineering – Mechanical Trade

GENERAL TRADE, GOVERNMENT & MANUFACTURING Manufacturing and Engineering

We have concluded a number of agreements in the manufacturing industry for maintenance workers. Often these members are highly skilled, and they hold additional qualifications above their trade qualifications, however often they are not paid as well as our contracting members. We have started to turn this around with some great outcomes in some areas that include increases in allowances along with wage rises. Additionally, we have a number of members signing up from ‘new’ companies that have never had a union agreement before. These are trickier than usual negotiations, given we are setting the foundation for the future with no real starting point to build from. Often these members are paid at different rates on individual employment contracts, etc. So far, we have had good success in aligning pay rates and bringing these members’ wages up to industry standard. With the skills shortage in the electrical trade, along with high inflation, there has not been a better time to negotiate a new agreement. This has seen this section of the union growing and the standards in this industry being raised one EBA at a time.

GOVERNMENT CONFERENCE DELEGATES CELEBRATE

Government Off the back of some great outcomes with BEMS government employees, the ETU has now commenced negotiations with a number of other government departments. These include the ‘core’ agreement that covers the art gallery and Queensland Police Service, along with many other government workers, Stadiums Queensland, TAFE teachers’ agreement, and SEQwater – negotiations with SEQwater have been proceeding for a number of weeks now. ETU membership in these departments is reasonable small compared to the other BEMS agreements, but the issues facing these electrical/electronics members are universal and the negotiations are vitally important.

Scott R eic

Scott

an m h

CONTRACTING Employees from all contractors working on this build are consistently exposed to health and safety issues due to the incompetence of CPB contractors and their inability to manage the project effectively. I’ve been attending different sections of the project multiple times a week to inspect safety breaches. Some of the safety breaches I’ve attended on this project are mind blowing considering the size and budget of the project. If you’re currently working on the Cross River Rail, I encourage you to contact your organiser any moment you are exposed to unsafe conditions. The Mater Hospital upgrade in Springfield has started with early works and should start to see a ramp up towards the end of the year. Ripley Satellite Hospital is now complete, with a second stage now out for tender. The second stage is due to commence in the coming months. Ipswich Hospital stage 2 will start in the coming months, with the mental health building almost complete. These projects will be constructed under the state government’s BPICs legislation, delivering EBA wages and conditions for our members. The Ipswich region is going through another stage of school building which will absorb a lot of labour for the next year or so. I’m hopeful many of them will be delivered by decent builders giving EBA conditions to the workers that build the projects. The tier 2 construction space is exploding across SEQ, with a huge amount of workshops, factory and shed building taking place. These builds commonly attract electrical companies that pay sub-par rates and conditions. If you’re currently working on a tier 2 project, please contact your organiser to tee up a site visit so we can educate the workforce on the benefits of being union.

Jimmy

Jimmy tle Lit

On the 7th to 9th of June, we held the annual ETU Contracting, Major Projects and Fire Industries Delegates Conference, which was attended by 49 delegates from across QLD & the NT. It was fantastic to see so many delegates from a broad range of employers and plenty of new faces too. There was heavy debate on issues arising across the industry and strategy on how your union will meet them head on. While it’s the sign of a healthy union to see debate and dissent in conference, it is important that all involved lock in on the position adopted in conference and I am confident that we have done so. On day two of the conference, we finalised the new framework for the industry agreements due to expire this month. The delegates endorsed the framework unanimously and your contracting organising team believe we have a strong position to bargain on your behalf. The next step is to lock in dates and organise mass meetings for the rank and file to review and endorse the agreement prior to commencement of bargaining. Once we’ve locked in the date, we will get the meeting notices out and it is vital you attend the mass meeting to ensure you understand the agreement and have your say in your wages and conditions for the next three years. The mass meeting is the first public step in the EBA campaign, so let’s all make sure we attend and show the bosses we are locked in and ready to win. The agreement has been many months in the making and Chris Lynch and the Industrial team have spent many hours making sure it’s an agreement we can all be proud of.

Wendel Contracting Sub Branch meeting 3:00pm Wednesday 9 August 41 Peel St, South Brisbane

ey on

Wendel M ol

The Cross River Rail project is starting to take shape with more job fronts opening up consistently across the whole project.

MACKAY GOLD REGION COAST & COAL QHealth

Coal industry Anglo American’s Moranbah North Mine EA is still on-going, we are making progress with our claims, but the company and another union are still working through the document on outstanding matters, which may take some time to resolve. We have secured Electrical Safety Representatives into the EA, which is a first in this document, the only other document that has a reference to Electrical Safety Reps in Coal, is the BHP Coal (Central) Agreement. Coronado Coal Mine (Curragh) will be going to ballot in early June for their EA, after 18 months of negotiating and endorsement of Protected Industrial Action, we secured industry leading terms and conditions as well as decent wage increase for the employees. Stanmore’s South Walker Creek Mine and Glencore’s Oaky Creek CHPP will commence bargaining in June. We are yet to finalise the Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal EA, with it looking like it is heading to ballot early June.

ETU MORANBAH WINS MINER'S GAMES

Contracting Any major construction work is reasonably slow within Mackay, but in the Bowen Basin, there is works at Olive Downs currently, with Chess Electrics having the electrical scope of works, some works were recently completed by Richglen at Burton Coal Mine on Stage #1 with Stage #2 commencing in May.

Thommo

Craig Th o

Dyno Nobel in Moranbah has on-going EA discussions, these discussions have become slow and the company may go to ballot in early June.

as m

Construction It was explained to me some years ago that banks have key criteria when considering Developer request for financing a project. Some of those key Criteria can be based around industrial relations, safety, no doubt deposit and historical cash flow, project delivery on time. These key factors heavily way on who a developer may get finance approval for, so if you have Builders A, B, C, and D, the banks may only provide the finance approval if the developer engages builders A or B, that the risk to job completion and IR is low with those two builders and with that the project will stack up. So, when federal governments make laws that limit workers from applying, in a lot of cases the necessary pressure to builders to pay fair wages and provide safe workplaces. As a result, Builders C and D become options for bank approval and as those builders undercut industry rates for wages and conditions and dodge corners on safety by not providing hoists, cranes etc. Builders A and B now decide either to lower their standards or lose the work. The same can be said for contractors, so it has a large flow on effect. So, there is actually no such thing as an EBA job, it’s just down to whether the builder is prepared to try and screw over workers or not, based on the risk to their job completion. That’s the sad truth. Hence why it’s so important that we back each other in their disputes, as when they see we are united, they are less likely to try one on. Since the draconian ABCC and Building Code have been abolished, we are now seeing an instant turn of the tide and builders wanting to utilise unionendorsed companies to deliver their work. This will help us deal with the issue created by employers in setting up separate companies to avoid your union-EBA-endorsed wages and conditions. Due to the rising labor market, those not choosing to do so, simply cannot attract the necessary labor, and this means that their completion times will blow out, and developers not choosing builders who do the right thing simply won’t get the finance. So, it’s a positive turn in the tide for construction workers. We must ensure we take this opportunity and educate our members on how to fight for better workplace conditions.

Gold Coast City Council With the change in CEO and various levels of management, we're now seeing a serious approach taken to safety on the coal face and what appears practical approach to parts of the EBA. Keeps us optimistic at least that we may reach a fairer deal this time around when we get back to negotiating. In closing, I can say in my 13 years of being an organiser for your union there has been no better time to be an electrical worker, and no better time to be a union activist, as we can all start to reap what we have for so long sowed. It’s not a time to rest, we have much to do, and, as they say, make hay while the sun shines. Let’s give it to ‘em comrades!

e on

Beau

Beau Ma l

Comrades, We have had some reasonably good outcomes within the region and specifically in the Coal Industry in the recent months. There has been an increase in union membership in the region, which is always a good sign that work is picking up and workers are wanting to be heard.

With the now third term State Labor Government and the contract coming close to its end, there is an opportunity to bring the work back in house at the GCUH. The EBA that has been delivered by your organisers who coordinate this space along with the resounding efforts from our membership, and there are mechanisms in their EBA that we can utilize to help achieve this.

APPRENTICES MRAEL (Contracting industry)

MRAEL apprentices have also agitated for an agreement in the SEQ contracting space with an improved and updated version of the EGA industry document passing through the FWC earlier this year. This will see apprentices previously only receiving bare minimum award conditions now receiving full jump-up to host rates and conditions, First Nations advancement provisions, Women In Construction provisions, income protection, additional tools, delegates clauses and a heap of other beneficial terms.

MRAEL Dalrypmple Bay Coal Terminal

Apprentice members working for MRAEL and hosted at Dalrymple Bay Coal Port Terminal in Mackay had negotiations kick off for the renewal of their existing agreement in 2022, with negotiations having reached conclusion recently. The commencement of the new EBA will see first year apprentices get a much needed 13.8% pay-rise for the first year with total pay rise across the 3-year agreement being a minimum of 19.8% (if the annual wage rise (AWR) comes in over 3%, they will get more), with other year levels kicking off with a 6.6% rise in the first year and a host of other improvements. Well done to apprentice delegate Mitch Wesche for his active involvement in the process!

Apprentices & Trainees QLD (ATQLD) (Gladstone) Negotiations were protracted with GAGAL/ATQLD for apprentice members hosted at the Batchfire Mine in Biloela. These apprentices were previously working under a 2008 document with a bunch of MOUs stapled onto it. GAGAL were dragged kicking and screaming to the table and brought a Tory industrial lawyer from AIG with them to consistently throw inferior drafts and boss template documents at the workforce. The document that eventually got voted up will see apprentices receiving between 24% and 52% increases (depending on their year level) on commencement, as well as income protection, and increases to allowances and other entitlements. Big props to apprentice delegate Noah Chapman for strong representation of his fellow apprentices, despite ATQLD doing everything they could to inhibit attendance. Also, a huge shout out to the ETU apprentices who stood firm for so long despite ATQLD pulling out all the stops to try to undermine the process.

State Government Apprentices As state government EBA negotiations progressed, the ETU and other unions were working behind the scenes to ensure fairer wages for all state government apprentices. We have negotiated directly with the government to amend the BEMS award to have

the percentage of the trade rate paid to government apprentices, reflecting the rate that we won in federal modern awards more than ten years ago. A first year apprentice working for the QLD government will now be paid 55% of the trade rate, and a second year will now be paid 65%. This is a huge increase on their pay, up from 42% and 55% respectively. As part of the EBA negotiations, we have forced the government to agree to implement the improved percentages from the start of the agreement. The exception is QBuild, but we are working on that and should have it sorted fairly quickly. It means a first year BEMS apprentice’s hourly rate will jump to a minimum of $18.48, up from as little as $11.99 at the moment. This is a massive win and will mean that these workers can enjoy a substantial improvement in their standard of living. This would never have happened if all members, including apprentices, hadn’t stood shoulder to shoulder with the wider resources of the union to bring about this much needed change!

Apprentice supports The ETU nationally has been successfully lobbying government and campaigning to establish more substantial support systems for apprentices through the creation of an industry owned and led ‘Powering Australia Apprenticeship Support Network’. It’s been identified that current systems in place through existing AASN programs are not working and an industry-led AASN is proposed to be created in order to offer industry-specific, hands-on mentoring programs that more effectively support energy apprentices in completing their trade in a constantlyevolving renewables world. The new AASN will also aim to promote and support diversity through active industry participation. Tenders are open for the new round of AASN packages, and we should know the results once this goes to print. Watch this space!

Looking forward Looking forward, we have the Electrogroup document up for renewal come December, a new Apprentice Coal Industry EBA in the works to ensure that apprentices working for GTOs in the black coal industry are all covered by the same conditions and relative percentage rates of the tradespeople they’re working side-by-side with. We will continue to campaign across all facets of our industry with our apprentice members to ensure that apprentices aren’t being left behind and to ensure businesses who don’t do the right thing by apprentices are driven out of our industry! There is no reason any apprentice should be working in our industry on base award rates and conditions and we need to continue to agitate on the job to change it. Better rates and conditions are there for the taking, we llis E just need to stand up and take them!

Luk e

It’s been a huge couple of years for apprentices in the electrical industry, and with projected QLD Energy Plan related works, construction works, increased transmission, supply and distribution demands and other requirements, it’s only going to get bigger between now and our next biennial conference in 2025! To give an overview, we’ve come from the position of having 873 financial apprentice members with 91 unfinancial in the branch, to a total of 1 206 financial apprentice members with 16 unfinancial as of March this year. This upward trend in membership in the apprentice space will only continue as work picks up across all industry sectors heading into the next few years.

Luke 13

TOOWOOMBA & SOUTH WEST QLD

Gatton Prison

We have seen a distinct improvement at the Gatton prison since Easter, with less safety and weather delays. Delegates, HSRs, and members have been working hard to maintain a safe and compliant site. Employment opportunities are starting to open up and we can see the project progressing at a much faster pace. A massive thank you to Mitch Ayre who is leaving the project after nearly two years as HSR. Mitch Has never taken a backwards step when representing workers at Gatton. Uncompromising but fair, Mitch has helped set the standard for the HSR team and he will be missed. On behalf of all ETU members a massive thank you and best wishes to you and your family for all your future endeavours.

‘Same Job, Same Pay’ Canberra Delegation Recently, ETU member Murray Gordon volunteered his time to represent the ETU to visit Canberra. While in Canberra, Murray had the opportunity to discuss with crossbench senators his experiences of the casualisation of employment in renewable construction projects in Australia. Murray, like many other workers on renewable construction projects, need politicians to understand that laws need to be changed to stop wage theft, improve safety and conditions, and put a stop to unlicensed electrical work.

Toowoomba Hospital (Baillie Henderson Site) We are still waiting for word on who will be awarded the construction contract to build the $1.3 billion hospital at the Baillie Henderson site. Hopefully by the time you are reading this it will be finalised and announced.

MURRAY SPEAKS TRUTH TO POWER

Stay tuned!

Not So Brighter Super

Brighter Super have once again shown why they are no longer the ETU’s Superannuation fund of choice. Brighter Super have once again shown disregard to an ETU member and his family by delaying the final payout of his contributions on his passing. After numerous calls and emails to Brighter, it took over nine months to make the final payment.

Damian He

At an already tough time for any family, it was compounded by continued promises of payment that were broken, with the final payment only being made after the intervention by ETU Assistant Secretary Stuart Traill.

Damo

t wa

CANBERRA DELEGATION

QLD

We had our first sub-branch meeting for the year which had a great turnout, it also saw some changes within the branch with Tom Hill, Jayden Reynolds & Mark Harrison standing aside from their branch positions. Ben Balanzategui, Lachlan Lowe & Trent Lovell have put their hands up and been successfully backed by the sub-branch to move into these roles. Thank you to Tom, Jayden and Mark for your hard work, commitment, and dedication to the branch and our members over the years. Also, congratulations to Ben, Lachlan & Trent, our sub-branch is in good hands with these passionate young unionists being elected. On the EBA front, negotiations have kicked off in the sugar industry with QSL operations & Wilmar currently negotiating their next agreement. Members from both companies have kept their logs of claims pretty simple, with the main push being around decent wage increases to keep up with the cost-of-living pressures we are currently facing. The electricians at Wilmar have seen their rates really start to fall behind the industry standard, facing the reality of being left further behind, our members have been very vocal on what increases will be pushed and accepted moving forward. The Spotless Downer EBA dispute has come to an end, with the latest EBA offer put out by the company being voted up 55% to 45%. Although there were some mixed feelings around the result and this was a national agreement, the CEPU members in Townsville should really hold their heads high and be proud as they did a lot of the heavy lifting applying pressure with rolling stoppages and protected action. Scabby even flew into town and made an appearance outside the barracks. Ergon EBA negotiations will be kicking off later in the year, and our next round of depot meetings have been scheduled where members will get the opportunity to discuss and endorse what a final log of claims will look like moving forward.

Liam Sh ar

In terms of future projects for our region, we have a lot on the horizon, with a major $750 million dollar hospital upgrade in the pipeline, and a huge body of works in the renewable sector. These jobs will be tendered under BPICs, so good EBA rates and conditions will apply. With a global skills shortage looming and such a mammoth amount of work to be completed, the wages and conditions of these future projects should be of a high standard with employers trying to attract the workforce. One thing for certain is y that the ETU will be on the front ke foot ensuring we achieve the best wages and conditions on these jobs for our members. It is a good time to be working in the electrical industry.

Sharkey

Hi Comrades, As usual there is plenty happening in the Far North. In the EQL space, we have embarked on a concerted campaign to raise the property to an appropriate standard, and in doing so have audited multiple depots and offices across the patch, to find multiple non-conformances against the relevant legislations, including but not limited to female amenities, smoko rooms, office stations, site security, mould (including black mould), and cleanliness issues. It is fair to say that the campaign has dragged EQL kicking and screaming into the 2020s and set the baseline for standards that our members will accept. Of course, none of this would have been possible without the unwavering support of the members in these locations and it is through their combined activism that we have been able to achieve millions of dollars’ worth of critical upgrades. In government, we have finally reached agreement on relevant EBAs at TMR, QBuild and Queensland Health. Although there are still challenges in these workplaces with middle management, we have strategies in place to turn them around, and the members have been front and centre in demanding that change. It is one thing to have a palatable industrial instrument enshrining conditions and wages for the next three years, but this must go hand-in-hand with the culture piece that would make these places a workplace of choice, one that members want to go to. Given the imminent skills shortage that is slamming industries at present, and the fact that government departments will never be able to compete with the big money construction projects for wage rates, it is imperative that the culture is not seen as a deterrent to attracting and retaining staff. If middle management cannot or will not value their employees enough, they should stand aside! We have had a bit of a win at the Cairns Regional Council, after identifying an underpayment of the apprentice tool allowance, we have achieved an agreement to backpay all apprentices going back years, including those that were hosted by third party employers. I should give a massive shout out to delegate Nic Carter who discovered the discrepancy in the first instance, by ensuring his apprentice understood what he was entitled to. We are in negotiations with Cleanco at present for the Kareeya and Barron Gorge Power Stations, and unfortunately the companies negotiations team has their collective head in the sand when it comes to the cost of living pressures, whilst hiding behind the skirt of the Government Owned Corporations Wages Policy, with their standard response being “No” and in exchange they “only want two things,” which happen to be a four year agreement, with the 4th year wages offer being 3% with no CPI safety net, which places all future cost of living volatility risk on to members, and a substantial roster change that would affect members lifestyles and spills over into child minding imposts, etc. At the time of writing, members are considering their options including potential Protected Action Ballots. Unfortunately, construction in this region has slowed considerably with the Cairns Convention Centre winding up in the coming weeks. We still have the mental health ward on the go, there is a university hospital in the pipeline and a hospital expansion on the books. There is also a youth detention centre slated for construction in the near future, but unfortunately the region is experiencing that cyclic boom and bust environment that often is the case in regional Queensland.

Hilly

Rob

NORTH

FAR NORTH QUEENSLAND

l Hil

CENTRAL LIFTS QUEENSLAND GATE TO GATE and pay the rate!!! Curtis Island Cartel ripping off local Gladstone workers! The fight on Curtis Island is ongoing, with ETU and AMWU members working at APLNG kicking into high gear in protected actions.. As I write this, the most recent offer from the company was voted down 89 to 2. We’ve seen rolling stoppages, daily actions and had a great turnout on the grass, with members locking in behind ETU delegates Nick and Peely. We’ve also been joined by Scabby the Rat, the Corporate Fat Cat, and Greedy the Pig. The main claim is for workers to be paid travel time. The current UGL APLNG agreement requires employees to travel to the island via ferry and then walk a considerable distance across the island to their pre-start area before their paid workday commences. A lot of members face up to 1.5 hours of unpaid travel time. Any ferry delays are not compensated for and rolled into an hourly rate. Despite many requests from the negotiating team and hiring a third-party consultant, UGL have been unable to provide a breakdown of their hourly rate to prove that this time is in fact included in the hourly rate workers currently receive. We’re fighting for workers to be paid from gate to gate.

THE WORKERS UNITED WILL NEVER BE DEFEATED

Since being involved in EBA negotiations and taking over the lift industry from Macca I’ve managed to achieve the following outcomes for members. Formation and implementation of Lift industry subbranch. The lift industry currently has 415 members, 1 of those members is an elected state councillor. With the membership across the lift industry sitting between 101 and 500 financial members the ability to set up a subbranch has become available. The benefits of forming a lift-specific subbranch that includes both service and construction members include the provision of industry-specific information about safety alerts, EBA negotiations, industry-specific reports on direction and issues as well as the opportunity to increase activism and membership and ultimately strengthen the lift industry. With more EBAs due for expiry in 2024, now is the time that we should all be coming together across all lift companies to share our experiences and learnings. All ETU lift members are welcome to attend. The sub-branch will consist of members that have been elected in positions to chair and run these meetings, formation will include election of a sub-branch president, vice president and secretary along with 2 branch conference delegates in accordance with the rules of the union. The next subbranch meeting will be held on Wednesday 6th September at 4pm, with a BBQ to follow so please add this date to your calendar. Every member on our membership system should have received the 1st lift industry Invite either by email or SMS, so if you haven’t, please update your membership and personal contact details with the ETU office. Delegate development Part of my role has been to identify delegates across various service/construction projects and provide them with training and support to enable them to understand and undertake the important role of being a delegate. I will continue providing them with the tools and support they require to do the job effectively. Our delegates play a huge role in our success, so get behind them and support them on the job as well. Agreements negotiated during handover period: • KONE (exp 28 Feb '24) • TKE (exp 30 September '24) FIRST LIFT SUB BRANCH • SCHINDLER (exp 5th July '24) Agreements negotiated since taking over the lift industry: • OTIS • FORTE LIFTS • LIFTRONIC • ALIMAK

Shawn 16

Shawn H ig

We’re targeting all three companies, UGL, ConocoPhillips, and APLNG. The fight is still ongoing, and members are still locked in and full of energy. The pickets have garnered some attention from the community and local media, with the story making the front page of Gladstone Today. We’re hoping the added pressure helps the company to see sense and come to the table with a reasonable offer for workers, including paying them for all time they stand to serve under their employees and client’s direction.

s gin

Focus points on lift safety and improving safety in the industry. • Lift shaft fall protection • Members understanding and having access to AS4431 “Safe working on new lift installations in new constructions. • Lift shaft emergency lighting. • Effective lift shaft emergency response plans. • How to manage silicosis exposure when installing and maintaining lifts. Focus points on building activism and increasing membership. • Delegate structures. • Regular site visits regarding safety. • Regular site visits, reporting to members. • Quarterly sub-branch meetings. • Focusing on sub-contractors. • Mapping companies without agreements and organising. • Apprentice zero-tolerance campaign (educating apprentices of the importance of being a union member).

Steve

SUPPORT ON THE PICKET LINE

Bravo

avo Br

35th BIENNIAL CONFERENCE SECURE JOBS… SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES The 2023 Biennial Conference heralded the welcome return of international guests from Aotearoa NZ, Denmark, and the US. The conference was officially opened by state energy minister Mick de Brenni who paid tribute to the ETU’s advocacy for public ownership and fighting spirit. We also had great speeches from Ongy and the leadership team, Michael Wright and Allan Hicks from the National Office, Jade Ritchie from Yes23, while firebrand CFMMEU national secretary Christy Cain once again didn’t pull any punches in his report. As always, the debates were passionate and respectful, and the conference was an enduring example of union democracy at work with agenda items flowing through from subbranches, Youth Crew, Old School and Women’s committees as well as industry conferences. We welcomed the following international guests: Stephen Gonzales IBEW Local 716, Houston Texas Price Warwick IBEW Local 20, Dallas Texas Sarita Morales IBEW Local 1116, Tucson Arizona Lars Kraemer Vice General Secretary DEF Denmark Morten Kristiansen Exec Member DEF Denmark Jorgen Juul Rassmussen Former General Secretary DEF Denmark Russell Mayn Secretary, MUNZ Local 13 New Zealand

Conference highlights WELCOME TO COUNTRY Luther Cora and the Yugembeh Aboriginal dancers gave a Welcome to Country ceremony, a moving expression of local culture shared through dance, music and storytelling and a fantastic Didgeridoo solo. Each dance was accompanied by a traditional story.

LUTHER CORA OUR NATIONAL UNION In a wide-ranging speech, Acting National Secretary Michael Wright highlighted some of the successful ETU campaigns across the country including the SEC campaign in Victoria that will see that state starting to renationalise its power systems after the failure of privatisation. He paid tribute to the Qld NT branch rank and file, leaders, executive and officials for our unparalleled industrial, social and political influence, saying “you are a bright light for our union.” He also gave a brief overview of the big IR campaigns coming up around ‘Same Job… Same Pay’ and the Critical Infrastructure Legislation due to be tabled later this year.

ONGY AND JORGEN

He finished by saying; “for the next 30 years we are the main game, when people talk about getting to net zero, they are talking about actual work that will be done by ETU members.”

Summary of conference resolutions Continued ALP and Left affiliation for Queensland and the NT while also exploring opportunities for members to get more involved and active in the party. Development of an NT Energy And Jobs Plan. The provision of social, community and regional. affordable, reliable, and renewable energy to end power poverty in the NT. Play an active and visible role in national minimum wage campaigns. Drug reform and decriminalisation of possession and use. Priority sourcing of Australian made merchandise where available. Support for refugees languishing on bridging visas. Access to defibrillators. Improve apprentice testing skills through mentoring. Quarterly HSR meetings. Cultural awareness training A campaign around harassment and bullying as a WHS issues Increased ETU Women’s attendance at Industry conferences

UNION LEADERS ON THE RENEWABLES PANEL

A few quotes from our conference guests... Jorgen Juul Rassmussen - DEF Jorgen attending his fifth and last conference spoke about the importance of international solidarity and the importance of keeping up to date with corporate movements: “United we will never be defeated…” Price Warwick - IBEW Texas Proud of how the ETU stood up against privatisation through the Not4Sale campaign. Shared with conference the brutal reality of privatisation and corporate bastardry, outlining how private electricity companies watched on as poorly maintained grid infrastructure failed in the Texas power crisis in 2021, which reportedly claimed more than 254 lives. Russel Mayn - MUNZ Thanked the ETU for our support in the Ports Of Auckland dispute of 2012 “The ETU reached out to us to offer support, you were on the picket line shoulder to shoulder.” Christy Cain - CFMMEU “The ETU and my union have a proud history of solidarity and that needs to continue…in the massive projects upcoming in the renewable energy sector.”

Recognising our workplace leaders Greg "Bloomy" Bloom – Outstanding Member Joined the ETU April 2000 Elected senior safety delegate in 2002, in 2004 elected Ergon NQ senior delegate Rep for Asbestos working group 2006 and for the duration was appointed by Ergon as the project supervisor for Asbestos management Elected to state council 20 August, 2007 Elected state deputy senior delegate Ergon Energy October 2008 Greg has been on the Ergon and EQL negotiation teams since 2008 Greg has been an ETU representative through good and bad times, his skills have kept our union on the front foot, he has been on reference groups fighting against managerial waste and for regional representation. He helped spearhead the Not4Sale campaign in Townsville which helped save assets and depots in 2015. Through these times his steady hand and extensive knowledge have resulted in some extraordinary outcomes. Minimum staffing numbers for Western depots Outsourced work being brough back inhouse to maintain depot staffing The Non-Urban Zone Allowance delivers up to $40 000 extra a year to attract and retain permanent workers in regional towns Adequate maintenance standards and cycles for network upgrades to maintain reliability The training of apprentices and helping organize contractors in his role as contracts officer “Very few unionists have such an influence in their workplaces, let alone workplaces the size of EQL, but Bloomy is a genuine leader who has the respect of members and the attention of bosses. Greg has demonstrated a commitment to our union and membership for many years and wholeheartedly deserves this recognition and it is my absolute privilege to present him with his ETU Outstanding Member Award.” Rob Hill, FNQ State Organiser

HILLY PRESENTS BLOOMY WITH AWARD Cam Humphreys – Outstanding Member Joined the ETU February 1998 Elected Powerlink delegate, 27 September 2013 he Assumed the role as Powerlink senior delegate in 2015 taking over from Shane King Elected Powerlink senior delegate state council and subbranch vice president In August 2015 Cam goes about the business of representing members and helping communities with little fanfare, but being union is in his DNA. He is a fantastic advocate who leads by example. Led the implementation of Mates in Energy in Powerlink and walked the Kokoda track in 2017 raising awareness and funding for Mates, he is now an Assist with Mates. Played a critical role in organising the ETU membership at Powerlink, he has been the lead delegate in negotiations through hostile times but also through the less hostile times since 2015. Cam has broad respect from ETU membership, the SBU and Powerlink management. Extremely active during the Not4sale campaign in Redcliffe and Stafford by elections and the 2015 general election. Played a pivotal role in organising the transmission lines section and network operations, areas we had struggled to organize previously. Also looking after and increasing the number of Powerlink apprentices. Cam has been a passionate advocate on the Switching and High Voltage Isolation and Access committee and has been an ETU nominee on the state government training committee. Cam’s commitment to union values and collectivism is highlighted by his ongoing commitment to help communities recover from natural disasters. He and his brothers have been stalwarts of the ETU’s Operation Energise deployments over the years with Cam contributing to five out of the seven undertaken. In recent years Cam played a leading role in identifying and escalating the issue of Security of Critical Infrastructure legislation that would have impacted over two million Australian workers. Through his representation at Senate hearings, we were able to hold off the full impacts, but the fight continues. “Cam has demonstrated a commitment to our union and membership for many years and wholeheartedly deserves this recognition.” Stuart Traill, Assistant Secretary.

STUEY PRESENTS CAM WITH AWARD

Clarke Stein – Outstanding Member Joined the ETU in March 1985 Elected state councilor in 1999 Has been active in negotiations at the Gladstone Power Station for more than 20 years. Has been elected delegate for workers employed by electrical contractors on site for many years. Clarke has been a stalwart of the Gladstone ETU and broader union community for decades, he has worked for various companies in and around Gladstone. One of the things Clark is most passionate about is achieving and maintaining 100% union density particularly around EBA time where he has always been at the table as part of the negotiating team. State Secretary Peter Ong paid tribute to Clark’s union values and “in his time, Clarke has seen four designated ETU Gladstone organisers, Craig Giddins, Billy Bijou, the late Greg Harris and now Shawn Higgins and throughout he has always been the first to knock on the door, introduce himself and share what he knows about what’s going on around town, he makes people feel welcome.” Assistant Secretary Chris Lynch knows when he goes into EBA negotiations with “Steiny” at the table he has the best intel and foundations to get the best deal possible. “At the power station when we go into negotiations we may be a small union in numbers, but we had the loudest voices, our members knew with Steiny at the table whatever we achieved in bargaining, we would get implemented. He had Pat and I on speed dial if anything wasn’t being implemented properly.” “Clarke is a staunch unionist, he’s been a fantastic advocate for his sector and his region, he’s active in his subbranch and always attends Labour Day. He lives and breathes unionism and he’s there when his comrades need him, he is the embodiment of what it means to be ETU and is thoroughly deserving of this award.” State assistant secretary Chris Lynch.

LYNCHY PRESENTS STEINY WITH AWARD Keith McKenzie - Recognition Award Former state president and current Electrical Safety Commissioner Keith ‘Macca’ McKenzie was recogniSed for his contribution to the ETU during his 23 years as an official which started in the contracting industry and progressed through to his position as president. To read more about Macca’s journey, refer to the write up in volume 101.

ONGY THANKS MACCA FOR CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE ETU

PHOTOS FROM THE CONFERENCE

ETU SAYS Backing the Voice To Parliament Later this year, Australians are going to head to the polls for a referendum. If successful, there will be an amendment made to the constitution, enshrining a First Nations Voice to Parliament. The Voice is to be a group of First Nations People who the government will consult on matters affecting them and their communities. The model will work much like a union does. The ETU expects members to be consulted on matters that affect them in the workplace, be that safety, wages, conditions, or otherwise. The Voice to Parliament will be no different. The Voice to Parliament will mean that First Nations People in this country have the chance to have a say. Making up only 3% of the population, their voices are not often heard. There is some concern among Australians that we 'don't know what we are voting for' when it comes to the Voice. We are simply voting for the establishment of a Voice, a group of First Nations People for the government to consult. The matters that they consult on will depend on the legislation of the day. Any legislation that does not affect First Nations People and their communities, the government will not consult the Voice on.

QUEENS WHARF DELEGATES SAY 'YES'!

YES! Some people may be wondering why the Voice needs to be voted on at all, or why it needs to be in the constitution. There have been many iterations of similar consultative First Nations groups established by the government of the day, however, they have all been torn apart and abolished whenever a new government is elected. With the Voice enshrined in the constitution, governments will not be able to remove them. This will guarantee consistency around a Voice to Parliament. No matter who's in power, there will always be a Voice. Your union is encouraging you to vote yes when it comes time for the referendum. It's time First Nations People were recognised in the constitution.

From the First Nations Committee Thor Anderson and Tommy Sebasio gave an update from the First Nations Committee at the Biennial Conference in May, reflecting on how it was their first Biennial representing the ETU First Nations Advisory committee created following the last Biennial in 2021. Thor points out that in July 2022 the committee started to discuss the referendum and the Uluru Statement From The Heart. “As soon as the new ALP government started to talk about it we knew we needed to get on the front foot, we worked with the QCU and ACTU First Nations committees, FNWA and the YES23 campaign to formulate simple messages.” “It’s about Recognition and the Voice is a seat at the table providing advice to government through consultation, it has no veto powers, it has no ability to make laws and it is not a third chamber of government.” “It will have local led regional representation, it will provide better outcomes for our people in areas like infant mortality and incarceration rates right down to simple things many of us take for granted like clean water and reliable and affordable power, which many Indigenous people in FNQ and the NT don’t enjoy, they rely on cards for electricity, it’s sad and it’s disgusting, it is years of institutionalized racism, it has got to stop.” Tommy agreed and in an emotional speech he called out racism and he called on his union family to get behind the voice. “We are calling on the good people in my union family to stand with us to learn about first nations people, learn about our cultures. The Voice is so important, it is a once in a lifetime opportunity to leave behind a better, stronger country for our young ones.”

TOMMY AND THOR PRESENT TO CONFERENCE Both Thor and Tommy called on First Nations ETU members to stand tall, be proud and reach out if they need help. Thor pointed to some significant dates for Indigenous Australians: 27 May – 1967 Referendum 3 June Mabo Day July - NAIDOC Week “These are significant times where we acknowledge the past and commit to walking together toward a better nation, the theme for Naidoc Week is “For Our Elders”, it is a huge motivation, they provided the foundations and did the hard yards. We owe it to them.” Ongy paid tribute to the committee for their work, saying "the committee is doing great work we look to these guys to give us guidance on the best ways for us to walk beside and support our First Nations brothers and sisters, their fight is our fight, Vote Yes!"

Just like union members should expect to have a voice in the workplace, First Nations People must have a voice in laws and policies that affect them. It's trade unionism 101.

Peter Ong, State Secretary

FIRST-TIME

CONFERENCE

DELEGATES

Ben Kilpatrick Where are you from? Cairns, Far North Queensland Which sector/industry subbranch were you representing? Cairns ETU, and work for QBuild Cairns as an electrician.

Sam Keating Where are you from? Brisbane, Queensland Which sector/industry subbranch were you representing? Ipswich subbranch Biggest union influences Sam - Books/history When did you join the ETU, why? 2021. I was in a union before becoming an electrician and joined straight away. When did you become a delegate? 2023 Union highlights Having drug reform motion passed at Biennial Conference and standing up at Deebing Creek Personal highlights Starting a reading group at Youth Crew Biggest issues facing your industry? Solar industry not being regulated strongly enough and worker shortages. Biennial conference – what were your expectations? Were they met? To see a truly democratic structure. It met expectations. What were the highlights? The lively debates What will you take back to your workplace? Drug reform campaign and changes to the Electrical Safety Act What does being ETU mean to you? Showing solidarity with the working class and marginalised communities.

Biggest union influences Workmates I've met since coming to QBuild in 2020, in particular; Lex Joseph - a staunch Cairns unionist for over 30 years (no easy task), who taught and gave me the confidence to put my hand up for delegate when he stepped back. Iyesha Paull, my first apprentice since coming to QBuild and another new unionist who represents a bright future for our union and trade. She is a constant source of inspiration. Local organiser Rob Hill, Cairns' very vocal advocate for the working-class man. When did you join the ETU, why? 2020, when I joined QBuild as one of the first electricians when the rebuild began. The ETU's involvement in the rebuild conversations with workmates,and my time in the private sector, taught me how vital the union movement is in taking our industry forward and empowering workers to have a more equal say in their pay and condition, workplace, and across all workplaces. When did you become a delegate? I became a delegate for QBuild Cairns depot in April of 2022 Union highlights My best win and campaign has also been my first experience with EBA negotiation and industrial campaigning. Our industrial campaign kicked off on the 1st of September 2022 and together with our Union comrades across QBuild, QHealth and TMR we won massive improvements, particularly for QBuild. The initial offer was 4%, 4%, 3% and we improved that offer to 17.5%, 4%, 3%. I was particularly proud to hear the praise for the members in Cairns who really stepped up in their additional refusal to work away during the action, a move that proved very effective, yet saw them personally sacrifice hundreds of dollars for their comrades. Personal highlights Just before our industrial action began in 2022 I attended an industry conference with delegates from across the state. Meeting the delegates and our organiser Scott Reichman and the things I learned from them were absolutely invaluable during the campaign. On a particularly personal note, watching our first QBuild Cairns apprentice since the rebuild, Iyesha Paull taking ETU's National Apprentice of the Year was an extremely proud moment for myself and all of us in the Far North. Biennial conference – what were your expectations? Were they met? My expectations were to learn as much as I could about our union and improve myself as a subbranch representative, delegate and union member in general. This conference more than met those expectations. What were the highlights? The very open debate around the direction of the union, insight into its workings and hearing a lot more about all the work the ETU does on the social front was also a massive highlight. What will you take back to your workplace? I hope to use all I've learned to do the best job I can as a delegate and unionist.

What does being ETU mean to you? Whether it's inside or outside the workplace, being ETU means supporting each other and standing together through both good and bad times to create better times for our comrades and the generations to follow us. Solidarity forever.

Ben Willis

Where are you from? Grew up on a small farm with my parents until I purchased my first place and moved to Toowoomba. Which sector/industry subbranch were you representing? Construction Biggest union influences Damian Hewat as he was my first ever delegate on a job and signed me up. Taught me the history behind why being a good unionists is so important and now I'm in those shoes trying my best to do the same with my new members. When did you join the ETU, why? In 2014 I joined while working for Thiess out in the Surat basin on the QCLNG project. I ran into Damo as the site delegate on the project. I wasn't a member at the time and didn’t even know who the union was until Damo took the time and sat me down and gave me my first lesson as to why I should join. When did you become a delegate? In 2021, I was voted up when the previous delegate left the job to pursue a career with energex. I wasn't real keen at first but now after doing it I'm really enjoying it and I've got a great crew at Gatton behind me. Union highlights We were a day away from taking protected action, fighting for a better family friendly roster and conditions when I was working on Barrow Island the Gorgon gas project. When in the dying minutes CKJV agreed and signed off on the new EBA. Biggest issues facing your industry? I believe Labour hire is still an ongoing issue in our industry, driving down wages and making it hard to find job security. Biennial conference – what were your expectations? Were they met? I didn't really know what to expect really, it was my first Bi enniel but it was great to see everyone and chat to all the different industries that attended and the comradery between everyone was exceptional. What were the highlights? The respect shown to each individual who had something to say or gave a speech, everyone listened and respected their opinions and the debates had were great to listen to also. What will you take back to your workplace? Hearing about all the renewables work down the track is great. That'll be one thing I'll take back with me. To let my fellow comrades, know that the future look bright for us all, especially in the construction industry. There will be some awesome EBA projects to work on. What does being ETU mean to you? The mateship and comradery after working across 4 different states in the oil and gas industry to commercial construction. Always knowing someone's got your back. Whether it's a blue at work over workers’ rights and conditions or just someone to talk to if you’re going through a hard time.

Luke Palmer

Where are you from? Brisbane Which sector/industry subbranch were you representing? Brisbane Construction/Contracting Biggest union influences The biggest influences I have had over my career started with my workmates and tradies as an apprentice when I first joined the trade. Further on from that, listening to our Union leadership speak at different rallies and meetings has always kept me well motivated as a union member. Union highlights Unions for Yes campaign. Having the opportunity to listen to speakers like Jade Ritchie, Lara Watson and fellow delegates at various meetings and conferences, it really highlights how important a YES vote will be at this year's referendum for our First Nations people. It's a proud moment to see our union supporting and campaigning for a "Vote for YES" so our First Nations people can finally have a voice to parliament. When did you join the ETU, why? I joined the ETU as a first year apprentice in 2003, I was well educated by my tradesman as to what the trade union movement was and why it was critical for our industry. For me it was an easy decision, it was common to see organisers on site most days of the week who were constantly pushing for better site safety and conditions. When did you become a delegate? December 2021 Personal highlights Just being elected as a delegate has been a highlight in my career, it has been rewarding to represent the membership and increase activism within the company. Further to that I was elected as Sub Branch Vice President and have had the opportunity to attend both National and Biennial Conferences this year. To witness and be involved in the discussions held at these different levels gives you an appreciation of how our union works nationally and internationally. Biennial conference – what were your expectations? Were they met? My expectations were some detailed discussions around the unions direction for the next 2 years. I think there are some great initiatives and campaigns that will come out the conference and I am looking forward to helping achieve them. What were the highlights? The International Union Guests from Denmark, USA and NZ. The connections we have as a union movement across the globe and our ability to organise internationally. The level and detail of discussion around initiatives and agenda items that were raised. What will you take back to your workplace? Some good discussions around industry issues, the Voice, agenda items, and initiatives. There were some issues raised about our apprentice training within the trade which I think through further discussion on site will make them more active members. What does being ETU mean to you? Being part of the ETU is more than just being a union member, we are a group of people from different backgrounds and cultures who represent a movement for change and equality not just in the workplace but also in our communities. We are always pushing for better conditions and safety, these are not achieved by one person but a unity of members who fight for a common cause. IF YOU DONT FIGHT. YOU LOSE.

18th conference could be the last for stalwart Mick Scriha From a cane farm to sugar mills Mick Scriha has lived in the little town of Marian for most of his 63 years. Mick is a stalwart of our union he has been a member for more than 40 years, he completed his apprenticeship at the nearby Marian Sugar Mill in 1977 a workplace he remembers fondly. “It was a place that offered a broad range of work, maintenance, installation, HV maintenance, generation and some domestic work as well. I joined the ETU a couple of months before I completed my trade, back then the mill would have been 100% unionized across the unions ETU, AMWU, FEDFA, and the AWU, now 43 years later we are still sitting at 90% while the metals and the AWU have slipped to below 50% membership.”

Biennial Conferences Mick has seen many changes in his 40+ years as an ETU member and recalls attending his first Biennial conference in 1989. “The Mackay subbranch secretary was unable to attend so I attended in his place and soon after I became secretary as well and I have been coming to conference ever since.” In 2019 Mick was elected to state council as a general trade delegate. When comparing todays conferences with those of yesteryear, Mick makes the following observations. “Back in 89 it was two days, with not many delegates from outside of the south east, The exec and most of the state council was made up of officials, the dinner used to be a beer and prawn night in the carpark under the office, they were great nights.” Another change is the amount of debate. “There used to be a lot more debate for almost every resolution.” Mick says some of the biggest highlights have been watching nine members receive the union’s highest honour of Life Membership they were Tommy Burns, Nev Warburton, Kenny Vaughan, Wayne Randall along with Garry Bloxsom, Jeff Christoffel, Gordon Abbott, Steve List and Chris McGaw. But the biggest of them all was the 2015 Centenary Conference. “The conference was a tribute to all ETU members past and present and especially then Secretary Peter Simpson, we also celebrated the success of the Not4Sale campaign and the ousting of the Newman circus.”

“They got rid of FEDFA with many joining the AWU, but they didn’t have a hope in hell of getting rid of the ETU.”

Mick reckons the Not4Sale campaigns that saw off three governments was without doubyt the best campaign he was in. ETU delegates are passionate about leaving their workplaces better than they found them, it’s what they do, and Mick is no different however it is becoming a challenge.

After completing his apprenticeship Mick moved to Brisbane and worked at the XXXX Brewery for 18 months before returning home to Marian to help out on the farm. In 1984 Mick resigned from the union to do some voluntary work with disabled kids, unaware that he could have applied for an exemption.

“When I started we had an 8 hour day thanks to the hard work of our forefathers, now there is a push from some of our younger members to work 12 hour days at single time, Something I will never agree to. Keeping my workplace fully unionised is becoming more difficult and is an issue that keeps me up at night!”

When he rejoined the union, Eileen Sloane (ETU admin extraordinaire) gave him his original roll number. From there Mick worked on and off for Kennedy Taylor Switchboards while also working on the family farm as well.

Being ETU

Mick recalls the Sugar Industry trying to get rid of the ETU and FEDFA back in the 80’s.

SEQEB Activism, taking a stand and getting arrested While still at Kennedy Taylor during the SEQEB dispute, Mick became far more active in the union. “I was arrested on the picket line protest out at New Farm and spent quite a few hours in Boggo Rd.” The SEQEB experience and his activism saw him elected to his first delegate position in June 1986, taking up the role at the North Eton Sugar Mill. In 1988 Mackay Sugar was formed through the amalgamation of six Co-Op mills and the purchase of Pleystowe Mill from CSR. The process tested Mick’s delegate skills as the mill he was working at was closed and the workers re-deployed. “I was transferred to Farleigh Mill where Darry Bennett was the long-term ETU delegate. He retired in 1995 and I have been a delegate ever since at various mills, but since 2011 I have been at the Racecourse Mill.” Mick credits Darryl along with Hally, Wal Giordani and Thommo as teaching him what it means to be a good delegate. During his long and industrious union journey Mick also took a tilt at politics being endorsed for the ALP as its candidate for the long held National Party seat of Mirani in 1992, while he didn’t win, he was pleased to get close. The seat would remain in National party hands until it was won by the ALP’s Jim Pearce in 2015 after his seat of Fitzroy was abolished, he held it until 2017 when it was won by One Nation. “How embarrassing to live in the only One Nation seat in Queensland!!”

“In a nutshell being ETU is about mateship, honouring the members and fighters from yesteryear and never giving up. When you are an ETU member you are never alone.” Outside work “I live on the Pioneer River where I get to see the platypus most evenings when I go for a walk with my wife of 32 years Carole and our two dogs Sumo and Golly.”

ETU MERCH

SCAN TO BUY OR VISIT ETU.ORG.AU/SHOP

MAY

In a show of solidarity for First Nations comrades, the theme of this year’s May Day marches was ‘Workers Vote Yes to the Voice’. A theme that was overwhelmingly supported by most unions and was uniquely captured in the colours and designs of shirts, hats, and other merchandise.

Brisbane’s march was, as always, by far the largest, with rough estimates suggesting close to 20 000 unionists taking advantage of the cooler weather to attend. A significant proportion of the mass of humanity were children and young people, a great sign for the future of our great movement. For young Ruby Rose proudly wearing her ETU May Day shirt and hat, a few things come to mind when asked why she was at the march. “It’s about showing respect for workers and the unions, and I like the food,” she said. “It’s a great day to reflect on what unionism and the ETU represents and teaching our kids about how we have the good conditions, fair pay and safety we have today because of unions,” Jacob said. Thang enjoys the connection and being part of something special. “It’s great being among people you feel connected to, working class people, ETU people,” she said. For good mates and ETU members Matt and Barry, May Day is all about family and being union proud. “It’s about celebrating the good wages and conditions we enjoy and showing the kids the value of unionism and being a member of the ETU”. Matt said. They both agreed the day was great for the kids. “It’s about the union family and everyone getting together.” Barry said. The family theme continued with Aqua, Harz, Mario, Zabrina, and their families enjoying their first May Day march. “It’s a day to get together and support each other and our unions.” Mario said. Aqua said it was great to see so many families at the march. “We are here to support our partners and show support for the work unions do, it’s great to see so many families with kids here, it’s really welcoming.” Rachel, who was at the march supporting proud ETU member and close friend Jerome, said she was blown away by the warm atmosphere. Being brought up in and LNP household with no union background, Rachel had never experienced anything like May Day before. “To experience something special like May Day is amazing. It gives me goosebumps, so many people, such a great sense of community, connection and understanding.” In pleasant autumn conditions from Darwin to Broadbeach, ETU members and their families turned up in great numbers to celebrate everything union.

DAY

INTERNATIONAL WORKERS MEMORIAL DAY On an overcast day at Emma Miller Place in Brisbane’s CBD, we once again came together as a collective to mourn the deaths of comrades who went to work and never came home. The signs neatly assembled outlined the age of the deceased, their job and industry. The ages ranged from 16 to 78, and the industries from construction to postal. It’s a sombre, sad, and reflective occasion. The sadness is palpable, but underneath there is a commitment to make things better and call out poor practices. This was no better reflection than in the anger expressed when we heard of yet another company denying workers their rightful access to safe work practices and their elected HSRs. ETU Assistant Secretary Chris Lynch called on the crowd to listen to their gut feeling, saying “…if what you are being asked to do feels wrong and unsafe, down tools and seek the assurances, contact your union, we will back you, safety issues are union issues. We will never tolerate companies putting profits and productivity before the safety of workers.” On a bright note, young members are standing up and getting educated. Among the hundreds of ETU members who attended IWMD on the 28 April, it was pleasing to see young workers making the effort to educate themselves about the day and what it means.

For apprentices Jake Weber 19 (L) and Kade Fraser 18 (R) attending their second and first IWMD respectively, the day was about paying respect and showing support for families along with ensuring that job sites are safe. “It’s an important experience for us as young workers to come along and pay our respects for workers who have lost their lives. Jake said, while Kade acknowledged the ETU members on site who encouraged him to attend. “We knew about IWMD and were encouraged by our workmates to understand why the day is important. It’s about paying respect and being safe at work”. For Jeff, 31, the day is about showing support and paying respects for the families who have lost a loved one. Greg, 66, sums up the importance to him simply. “I’m here because it’s the movement’s second most important day, just behind May Day.” For Brett 44, it’s simply about sending condolences to families and friends of workers no longer with us and remembering those workers. 18-year-old Zoe is at her first IWMD with her 43-year-old dad Enrico, known as ‘Big Red’. “Dad invited me to come and it’s my first time, so I’m interested to see what it is like.” For Enrico It is about showing grieving families that the union family is with them. “When one falls we all fall, we are here to recognise the workers who have fallen and pay our respects.” “I wanted to show my daughter that unionists are human beings not the union thugs that we are often portrayed.” For 19-year-old Basil his first Memorial Day is a about paying respects for the fallen and taking away the importance of safety. “It’s all about safety for me, taking care, looking out for your workmates, understanding the hazards, being aware and making sure we all get home safely.”

LYNCHY SPEAKS AT IWMD BRISBANE

It’s 22-year-old apprentice Michelle’s first International Workers Memorial Day and for her it was a good experience. “It is a really important opportunity to show solidarity and pay respects for workers who lost their lives. I got goosebumps and felt emotional at times. When I go back to work, I want to do what I can encourage my workmates to work together to ensure we have a safe workplace.”

APPRENTICES VISIT PARLIAMENT HOUSE

Earlier this year, Electrical Trades Union apprentices shared their stories with the highest tiers of government. At the end of March this year, an impressive delegation of ETU and CEPU apprentices attended the ETU National Apprentice Conference, which included a visit to Parliament House to speak to federal representatives about issues apprentices are facing in the electrical trade.

Our apprentices asked for two key things to ensure the electrical workforce in Australia has what it needs to make the transition to renewables and have a bright future: 1. Improved systems for mentoring and support of electrical apprentices to improve completion rates. 2. A circuit of six centres of excellence in renewables across Australia, to help deliver the training apprentices will need to transition to a renewable future, and have capability to up-skill the existing workforce as the transition takes place and no communities are left behind. The union apprentices met dozens of politicians, including PM Anthony Albanese, and spoke to them about the challenges and opportunities of electrical apprenticeships today, such as high dropout rates due to poorly delivered mentor programs. Apprentices had the opportunity to talk to the Federal Energy Department for workforce planning and consult with them and discuss ideas that will affect their futures. They also got to tour the building, sit in on question time, discuss apprentice retention rates and the future of training and support, learn about the different houses of parliament, and see our democracy in action. The delegation also attended the Illawarra Clean Energy Expo at Parliament House, where Energy Minister Chris Bowen gave a speech, and where they were able to speak to MPs, businesses, and organisations involved in the sector and give their perspectives on behalf of the workers who will make a clean energy future a reality. There were lots of discussions about training, which skills will be required in the future as we transition to renewables, and how important being politically aware is for your rights at work and the delivery of trade education. Female apprentices spoke to MPs about the roadblocks for women entering the electrical trades, solutions to those roadblocks, and what work still needs to be done to improve the 2% participation rate. Acting National Secretary Michael Wright spoke about the importance of getting the electrification of our nation and transition to renewables right, with good union jobs and careers.

ETU Queensland and NT second year apprentice Ash Constable was on his first trip out of Queensland and very first plane trip, so the whole experience was a buzz. Once in Canberra, Ash enjoyed the tours of parliament house, and was struck by how well the delegation was received and how easy it was to speak with MPs. “I have met a few politicians like Graham Perrett and Lance McCallum before, but this was a great opportunity to discuss issues directly with the decision makers, and I found them to be genuinely interested in what we were talking about. The big issues for me are access to training and jobs in the renewables sector. There appears to be a disconnect between what is being said and what is actually offered. And the other big one is apprentice completion rates.” Meeting with other apprentices and breaking down perceived and real barriers were the other highlights for Ash, who said: “To be able to meet with other ETU apprentices from across the country facing similar issues and share our own stories with politicians of all parties was a great experience. The key thing is going to be follow through.” Ash noted that MPs ‘are just people after all,’ and meeting with some of them after the formal discussions was a good experience. Third year ETU Queensland and NT apprentice Liam Davies described the experience as “unreal,” noting how impressive it was that the delegation worked so well as a team, saying “it was easy to be part of the team, Trevor and the ETU made us feel really comfortable, prepared and involved.” The key issues for Liam reflected the overall themes of the conference and delegation: Lack of support for apprentices, and renewables training and future jobs. “Organisations like MEGT are supposed to check in every few months to see how apprentices are travelling, however for many apprentices you just get an automated robo-text once a year, it’s not good enough. They are supposed to do more.” The lack of support is having an impact on completion rates and putting some people off the industry according to Liam, who retells a story he shared with the delegation. “A prime example of the lack of support is an apprentice I know who was stood down for months while employed in domestic house bashing. When they tried to call MEGT for help, they were uncontactable, leaving the apprentice feeling unsupported and unsure where they were headed. I have been giving them some advice, but the support networks need to be doing a lot better.”

“We highlighted the issues around the lack of renewable training centres and opportunities for apprentices to be trained up to get a start on some of the big renewable projects in the pipeline, we argued that we need renewable training facilities in all major cities around Australia.” Like Ash, Liam was impressed by how well the team was received by the MPs they spoke to, but he is also aware they are politicians. “It was a bit daunting at first, but after a while it wasn’t hard to just talk. The format gave me a lot of confidence, we were well prepared. How well the MPs took in what we were talking about is hard to tell, they seemed interested, they smiled and listened, but they are pollies, the proof will be in the policies. I hope we made a difference, follow through and results will be the key.” Liam gave the overall experience a big thumbs up, and apart from being part of talking truth to power, he has also developed some enduring interstate networks as well. “It was a 100% positive experience, from being part of a great ETU team, to attending formal meetings and discussions with MPs right the way through to some informal chats with MP Graham Perrett. I also keep in touch with some of the blokes from Tassie.” ETU National Policy Officer Trevor Gauld said the apprentices had really done themselves and their union proud. “They were passionate, they were professional, and their stories have made a massive impact. I have since returned to Canberra for further lobbying activities on behalf of the union, and politicians and their staff are still talking about how impressed they were with the apprentices they met.” The Union made pre-budget submissions to the government on these issues, which came out of the 2022 ETU National Industry Conference, but having real people telling real stories added real context and relatability to the issues.

DELEGATION WITH MP LANCE MCCALLUM Electrical workers are the most in-demand trade our country requires to get the transition to renewables right. The ETU and CEPU apprentices did a fantastic job of telling their stories about their experiences as apprentices, and highlight just how powerful and essential it is for working people to have their voices heard in Canberra. Thanks to all the elected representatives who met with us – it’s great to see our federal representatives are listening!

ASH CONSTABLE (LEFT)

LABOUR DAY AWARDS WINNER: Best community campaign: Voluntary Assisted Dying

Outcomes

2020 Labor commits to introducing VAD legislation if re-elected in October May 2021 Re-elected Labor government introduces VAD legislation to state parliament. 16 Sept 2021 VAD Act 2021 passed with 61 MPs supporting the legislation and 30 voting against it. 1 Jan 2023 VAD becomes available for eligible Queenslanders on January 1. VAD is now a legitimate end-of-life choice for eligible Queenslanders, the choice to die with dignity. With the laws passing in Sept 2021 and coming into force on 1 January 2023.

ACTIVISTS GATHER AT 'VIGIL FOR VAD'

Following the successful endorsement of VAD in Queensland, we continued to work with Go Gentle on their ongoing campaign to introduce VAD legislation across all States and Territories.

Like many truly transformative campaigns unions are involved in, things take time. For some of the strongest advocates for VAD legislation, time is the one thing they don’t have. We dedicate this win to the relentless and ongoing strength and resolve of our fallen comrade, the late Peter “Simmo” Simpson, and his courageous wife Penny. Their advocacy while Simmo was literally at death’s door, helped open the way for vital lifechanging legislation to be finally debated, tabled. and ultimately passed after many years of disappointment. While Simmo may have passed away more than a year prior to VAD legislation was finally enacted, his legacy and support lives on. Sometimes issues are beyond the political games, and beyond the day to day cut and thrust of union work. Voluntary Assisted Dying is one of those issues. We fight every day for workers to be treated with respect and dignity during their working life. We fight for them to be treated with respect and dignity in their retirement. Therefore when the issues around being treated with respect and dignity at the end of life came into razor sharp focus during the final years of Simmo’s life, the ETU took on the responsibility to act objectively, compassionately and with one clear objective: to do whatever we could off our own bat and join with many other great advocates to get VAD on the agenda and keep it there until legislation was ultimately passed. While the campaign was not in and of itself a union campaign, rather a community campaign, we were able to use our organising skills, tools, connections and resources to provide new pathways to victory. Initially, the campaign used sophisticated online campaigning (designated Facebook, website and direct email to MPs along with lobbying and joint public campaigns with Go Gentle, Dying With Dignity and other advocates) that sought to bring on parliamentary debate around VAD before the ALP government went to the COVID election in 2020. Unfortunately, due to the ongoing COVID emergency and other internal issues, draft legislation was never debated before the poll. However, when the Labor government pledged to introduce legislation in 2021 if re-elected, the ETU’s VAD campaign ramped up to ensure that MPs from all sides of politics were educated enough to make an informed decision and ultimately support the will of the Queensland people in passing the legislation when it came to a vote. Polls showed in excess of 77% in favour by the time legislation was finally tabled in late May 2021.

SIMMO'S WIFE PENNY SPEAKS

Reflecting on the campaign We are now hearing stories depicting people making use of VAD. It's stories like these, of a loved one passing away peacefully and with dignity, that make the results of the campaign so important. An excerpt from GoGentleAustralia.org.au Dr Claus Bader, a palliative care specialist GP at the Townsville Hospital, was with Irene when she died on 31 January. He told The Courier Mail: “When I arrived with the medication, it was daunting for me, especially because it was after a long weekend and I hadn’t seen her in a few days but her face was just pure happiness,” he said. “One thing I'll never forget was even when we started giving the medication, Irene kept joking and talking to her family and laughing and kissing her son and then she just fell asleep. “That is the last thing her family will remember, and the last thing she will remember; calm, laughter, happiness, music, love," he said.

ETU Assistant Secretary Stuart Traill summed up the feeling about the ETU winning the award.

“It’s a bittersweet feeling. While I am pleased that such an important campaign and issue like Voluntary Assisted Dying was acknowledged in this way, it also highlighted the loss of a mate and a leader. Without Simmo’s advocacy we would not have achieved the outcomes we did. His legacy will live on.” For ETU President Jason Young, who accepted the award on the night, it was an emotional experience. He says, “As Stuey says, it is bittersweet. VAD is such an important matter and we campaigned hard on it. Ironically, the award was collected on behalf of one of the union’s greatest campaigners Simmo, who probably would never have used the legislation. This highlights our union values, we campaigned hard because it was the right thing to do, not because it suited our purpose.”

“I started work on a 6-month contract in 2003 and never left. Dick Williams used to tell me that I was like rust, once I got into the ETU, he could never get rid of me,” Pat says. Over the years, Pat worked with three state secretaries: Dick Williams, Peter Simpson, and Peter Ong, four state presidents: Gordon Abbott Snr, Chris McGaw, Keith McKenzie, and Jason Young, as well as numerous organisers, delegates and members. Pat’s commitment to working people and the trade union movement stretches beyond the 19 years spent with the ETU. She has been involved in the union movement since the 1980s. “Unions fight for workers’ rights, and I believe that working in Unions we do nothing by ourselves. We work with our colleagues and comrades to achieve outcomes for union members, and we stand on the shoulders of those who have come before us,” she said. Working in the federal public sector in the early 1980s served as an impetus to become more active in her union, the then Administrative & Clerical Officers Association (ACOA). Pat tells a story about working in the public sector. “I was working in in a department that was male dominated. In the area I worked there was a temporary higher-level vacancy, but I was overlooked for the position. A month or two later, another position became available, and I was overlooked again. The reason given for this contradicted what I had previously been told. It was pretty clear that the issue was that I was a woman, so I challenged the decision and got the job. Following on from that experience, I became much more involved in the union, becoming a delegate, a branch conference delegate and eventually I was employed as the women’s organiser

YOUNGY ACCEPTS THE AWARD

Pat Rogers takes home Kath Nelson Award Pat was recently awarded the Kath Nelson Award, an Award that is given to women unionists to recognise their contribution to the Union movement in Queensland. “I am thrilled to have received this award. I consider myself lucky to have worked in the union movement and to have worked with Kath (Nelson). To have fellow unionists consider my service to the union movement, and particularly to women in the union movement, to be worthy of this award is truly humbling,” Pat said.

SARAH, PAT & NEISHA

“Pat is a stalwart of the trade union movement. Her advocacy for working people in her 19 years of working for the ETU as well as her work with other unions before she came to us has been second to none.” – Peter Ong, ETU State Secretary.

Pat believes in a fair go and has fought to improve the lives of workers, their families, and the wider community. She has also maintained a keen interest in improving the position of women at work.

In July 2022 Pat Rogers, our senior industrial officer, retired from the ETU after 19 eventful and successful years.

Working with a number of women activists, Pat was instrumental in the ETU Qld & NT Branch holding the first women’s conference to be held in the union. It is now an annual event. Following on from the conference, the branch set up a women’s committee, creating an opportunity for women to meet and discuss issues of particular concern for women working in the male-dominated electrical trade. As a result of these initiatives, and the ongoing work of women activists, the Queensland and NT Branch has seen a significant increase in the number of women members and now ETU women punch well above their weight.

WOMENS CONFERENCE, DARWIN

During the ETU campaign for improved facilities, later dubbed ‘Nowhere to Go,’ Pat approached the issue looking at the existing WHS legislation and requirements to ensure women (and all workers) had access to adequate bathroom facilities. As a result of this strategic campaigning, the union was able to approach the issue relying on existing health and safety legislation

Like all good trade unionists, Pat has been a strong advocate for workers’ rights. She has a firm belief in what’s right and has always spoken up when her values are challenged, no matter the company she’s in. In addition to her industrial advocacy work, Pat is passionate about making changes in the wider local, national and international communities. She is a strong supporter of APHEDA and has been involved in hosting unionists who visit Brisbane, as well as visiting APHEDA projects on the Thai Burma Border. Working with a group of APHEDA activists, her fundraising efforts through the annual APHEDA IWD function, APHEDA raffles and trivia nights have been significant. Pat is meticulous when it comes to combing through agreements and using legislation to come up with creative and just solutions for workers. She led the team of ETU industrial officers by example, always working hard to get the best outcomes for members and never accepting anything less

Thor is the ETU workplace delegate representing the 100% density of ETU members working for Nilsen’s on the massive Queens Wharf development in Brisbane’s CBD where his thoughtful, forceful when required, and considered approach to the role has resulted in increased membership and activism. “Thor thinks about things deeply. He has a calm and approachable manner when dealing with issues. However, he is a staunch unionist who always puts the thoughts and rights of the members and their union at the forefront. He never takes a backward step, and this consistent and genuine approach has enabled him to develop great working relationships with other trades and unions as well as earn a healthy respect from management representatives. It’s fair to say he well respected across the entire project.” ETU organiser Wendel Moloney. While he was originally elected as delegate two years ago, Thor has ramped up in the last 12 months, combining his representation with his strong cultural connections to take on more leadership roles. Three words to describe Thor are ‘cool, calm and collected’. Apart from his union delegate duties, Thor also takes part in some official and unofficial roles on site at Queens Wharf and within the union, including:

YOUNGY ACCEPTS THE AWARD

“Pat was a driving force in all of our EBA campaigns. She was always out on site and keen to talk to members about what they wanted to see in new EBAs. She always put her hand up to take the time with members to explain anything they might not understand in contracts, awards, and the like. She was a committed advocate for workers,” says Chris Lynch, ETU Assistant Secretary. “I worked with Pat on the Rail Licencing Campaign, and her commitment was second to none. We were in arbitration for 18 months, and she didn’t miss a beat. She was there every single day,” Jason Young, ETU President.

HIGHLY COMMENDED: Thor Anderson, Outstanding Activist of the Year

In 2022/23 Thor has taken on an unofficial role as a mentor for younger First Nations ETU members across the project. During Reconciliation Week in June 2022, Thor along with fellow ETU member Yungubadijarri “Yungu” Yanner combined to share their cultures with all workers across the Queens Wharf project, with Thor delivering tool box talks about First Nations culture and reconciliation and Yungu playing the didgeridoo. Thor as a founding member of the ETU First Nations Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Committee, has been heavily involved in consultation with ETU members about the Voice referendum and other issues. Thor represents the ETU on the QCU Indigenous Committee. Thor combined with Lara Watson from the ACTU to present an ETU Podcast in December 2022 outlining the connection between the principles of the Voice, unionism and empowerment. They also featured in a journal article in our 102nd edition of the Electrical Worker. Thor has presented to the Queensland Community Alliance on the importance of supporting the Voice referendum. Thor was on the panel at the Town Hall meeting on March 29 held by the Queensland Council Unions for Yes campaign along with other QCU Indigenous Committee members, where he also read the Uluru Statement From the Heart.

Proud Quandamooka man Thor Anderson comes from a rich union background with his grandfather Dr Robert Anderson (Uncle Bob) well known among the Queensland union movement while his father and many of his extended family are also active union members. From a young age, Thor can remember attending Labour Day marches and the like with pop and the family. Thor has long been a strong union activist who has always supported the union values of respect, collectivism, and inclusion. Thor has also been an integral part of campaigns raising awareness around the scourges and impacts of Labour Hire and insecure work. Thor was heavily involved in the development and filming of the recent ETU anti-racism video campaign where he shared his story and spoke in his language to raise awareness about the importance of inclusion and standing together. Recently, he recorded his first podcast alongside the ACTU’s Lara Watson discussing the importance of the upcoming Voice referendum.

ONGY PRESENTS THOR WITH THE AWARD

HIGHLY COMMENDED: Best Industry campagin: State Government EBA The overall campaign objective was developed along with our Log of Claims, following extensive member involvement and final sign off by our workplace leaders at conference. The broad objectives were to campaign and win appropriate recognition of the important role workers in the electrical trades play in keeping vital parts of the public sector ticking over. To achieve this, we sought significantly improved remuneration and conditions for trades workers and apprentices. In a nutshell, we sought to erase the hangovers from Newman government’s three years of sackings and outsourcing, cuts and chaos. We also sought to highlight how the work performed by electrical workers during the two years of the pandemic was vital to our health, transport and public infrastructure, ETU members were/are frontline workers, and they ought to be recognised as such. We also sought to improve the retention rates of electrical apprentices within the public sector by significantly improving their standard of living. “This award is a whole-of-union-award that recognises and acknowledges the hard work and resources mobilised to win such important improvements as the biggest pay increases in state government history. As a union official, I couldn’t be prouder to have represented such passionate and committed (militant when needed) members and delegates, well done to all.” Scott Reichman, ETU organiser.

CALL OUT Call out to ETU members for material to be included in an ‘ETU: Alive in 25’ display. To celebrate our 110th anniversary and the 10th anniversary of the massively successful Not4Sale campaign, your union is calling on members to dust off the old membership books, news clippings, t-shirts, maps, photos, and anything else that can be used to create a display depicting the story of electricity in Queensland, and honouring the men and women of the ETU of yesteryear, today and tomorrow. We are currently working with the centre to identify a suitable space; its size will dictate the types and volume of exhibits we are looking for. Examples of exhibits: Archival footage – newspaper clippings, videos, pictures about the electricity industry and the ETU in Queensland NT. Old indenture books, membership cards and books, May Day T-Shirts, etc. Historical pictures and handbooks etc from power stations, coal mines and power companies across Queensland and NT Campaign footage – SEQEB, Not4Sale, 36-hour week, anticonscription rallies, community rallies etc. Any other artefacts associated with the Queensland/NT Electricity Industry and the ETU. Possible exhibit displays

Campaign Outcomes QHealth – the majority of ETU members will be $404 better off per fortnight on base rates by 1 September 2024, while apprentices will be up to a staggering $550 better off per fortnight over the same period, as we were able to increase the pay scales to reflect 55% and 65% of trades rates. It’s a massive boost for apprentice wages. QBuild – bargaining in QBuild has resulted in some massive increases of up to 17.5% in the first year, following some fantastic industrial action across the state. Great increases for apprentices flowing from the wider tradie increases, and more to come as we get award parity in the near future. TMR – ETU workers across TMR spearheaded the push for decent pay increases and arguably, without their commitment, the battles across the public sector would have been much harder to win. The average pay increase across TMR for ETU members will be about $506/fortnight, with substantially higher increases for 1st and 2nd year apprentices.

Electricity lighting up the darkness - how it works The history of electricity in Queensland and the NT – first lights, power stations, high voltage wires, types of electricity generation, distribution and supply, issues over the years. The ETU History in Queensland and NT Notable Campaigns we have won May Day and campaign shirts exhibition ETU Logos and badges The future – Solar, Wind, Hydrogen, Hydro a clean green future. The Successful Not4Sale campaign, spearheaded by the ETU, played a huge part in the demise of three asset-sellinggovernments: Bligh ALP 2012, Newman LNP 2015, and Giles CLP NT 2016. Described by former ALP state president and ETU state secretary 2001- 2009 Dick Williams: “In my view, the Not4Sale campaign driven and funded by the ETU is the best single union/community campaign I have ever had the privilege to see in action.” If you have materials or ideas for what we should include in the exhibit, contact andrew@etu.org.au.

PROMISES KEPT

Albanese government on track to tick off key priorities, but more to do on others. The Guardian Australia wrote an article back on May 23 last year, less than a week after Labor was swept to victory. The article outlined eight priorities for the incoming government. In this feature, we look at the government’s progress on these election commitments and grade them from A-E on their achievements so far. (As of May 15, 2023). It’s been a year since the Albanese government took over the ministerial leather after the nine long years of the Abbott, Turnbull, Morrison LNP regimes. A period epitomised by attacks on workers, unions, the environment, a period of wage stagnation, corporate, social and economic bastardry, a true neo-liberal shit show. It is in this context that we look at the accomplishments this Labor government has been able to achieve in little over a year. The below list is not exhaustive and there will be ongoing debate about the government dragging its heels on issues such as housing and welfare reforms and aggressive action on the climate crisis, along with serious doubts about the benefits of keeping their election promises to implement the previous Coalition government’s ill-conceived AUKUS nuclear submarine deal (estimated cost $368 billion over next 20-30 years), and Morrison’s reckless stage 3 tax cuts (estimated cost $243 billion over next 10 years) which will undoubtedly fuel further inflation fears. On those issues, there is still time to lobby the government with neither of the spending commitment timelines kicking in fully until 2024. For this exercise, we will look at eight key areas identified by the Guardian, where the new government prioritised reform and grade them on their progress.

Eight priorities for Anthony Albanese’s new Labor government 1. Anti-corruption commission (A) – ICAC legislation introduced and passed at the end of 2022 Long-held promise by Labor in opposition, Albanese elevated the commitment to establish a federal anti-corruption commission midcampaign by announcing it would be established by the end of the year (2022). Legislation was passed in November 2022 with commencement date scheduled for 1 July 2023. 2. Employment summit (A) – the Summit was held in September 2022 – objectives and recommendations are being worked through. Important reforms to Industrial Relations legislation were passed in December 2022, The Fair Work Legislation Amendment (Secure Jobs, Better Pay) Act 2022, gave effect to the government’s commitment to improving the workplace relations system, ensuring it delivers secure jobs and better pay for Australians. The Act is the first tranche of reforms the government will make to workplace relations laws with more to come this year. The despised ABCC and ROC have now been abolished. The government continues to advocate on behalf of workers when it comes to minimum wage increases. “We recommend the Fair Work Commission ensures the real wages of Australia’s low-paid workers do not go backwards,” said the statement, signed by Treasurer Jim Chalmers, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations Tony Burke, and Minister for Finance Katy Gallagher. 3. Respect at work – (B+) – work in progress to implement all 55 recommendations, new IR legislation and other initiatives have made good progress but more to do. Labor has committed to implement all 55 recommendations of the sex discrimination commissioner Kate Jenkins’ Respect@Work report. The government has legislated 10 days paid domestic and family violence leave as a workplace entitlement, and made gender pay equity an objective of the Fair Work Act.

peoples in the Constitution by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice. The proposed constitutional amendment was introduced into Parliament through a Constitution Alteration Bill on 30 March 2023. A Joint Select Committee on the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice Referendum considered the Bill. The Committee reported back by 15 May 2023. Once the Bill has been passed by the Parliament, it will be submitted to voters at a referendum in accordance with section 128 of the Constitution. Referendum question The question to be put to the Australian people at the 2023 referendum will be: “A Proposed Law: to alter the Constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice. Do you approve this proposed alteration?” 5. New agencies and funds – (B+) – Progress is hard to quantify in some aspects, but in the areas of National Reconstruction and jobs and skills, there is some good progress. Many of Labor’s promises involved setting up new statutory agencies and offbudget funds to invest in areas including energy, industry policy, skills and employment. Establishing the $15bn national reconstruction fund as a priority. That body will provide loans, guarantees and equity to invest in sovereign capabilities in clean energy, resource processing, manufacturing and defence. It will require legislation. Labor has fulfilled its commitment to establish Jobs and Skills Australia, aimed at strengthening workforce planning and vocational education and training. 6. Climate policy – (B) – After 10 long years of inaction, we finally have a Climate and Energy Plan, with legislated targets. While some will argue it is not enough, others too much, the important work is in the transition to a low carbon future. On that issue, we finally have a National Net Zero Authority to plan, coordinate, and provide advice on the transition to renewable energy, focusing on the facilitation of new economic opportunities for workers and communities who are currently involved in fossil fuel production and associated industries. The centrepiece of Labor’s climate policy is a target of net zero emissions by 2050 and a medium-term reduction of 43% by 2030. After years of inaction meaningful legislation was introduced, debated, and passed. Labor’s promise to improve the Coalition’s safeguards mechanism has also been achieved. While in the recent Budget, the government committed serious investment into making Australia a clean energy superpower including $20 billion towards the Rewiring The Nation initiative. 7. Aged care – (B+) – Labor’s much spoken about reforms to Aged Care got off to a shaky start, but are now back on track with $11.3bn commitment over the next four years to fund a 15 per cent pay rise for 250,000 aged care workers from July 1. Progress has been varied on other areas, such as increased minimum care times; a registered nurse on-site 24/7; accountability for how government funding is spent; and better food. 8. Cheaper childcare – (A) – In keeping with their election promises, the government introduced and passed the Cheaper Childcare Bill which came into law late last year. Changes to subsidies are to be implemented by July – primarily related to thresholds and subsidy percentages which over time will leave 96% of families better off, and the rest no worse off. SOLID START WITH SOME BIG DECISIONS STILL TO BE MADE Overall, a B, some great early achievements with some big issues yet to be resolved and a referendum to win! In August last year, we created a checklist of key issues for ETU members, let’s see how the government is tracking on them... Abolish ABCC

4. Voice to parliament – (A) – Referendum wording and enabling legislation has been developed, and the referendum will be held in 2023. The LNP has indicated it will advocate for the No campaign.

Abolish the CODE Address Labour Hire (Legislation being drafted) Invest in future-proofed jobs – Energy Policy

As part of the government’s commitment to implement the Uluru Statement from the Heart, a referendum will be held between October and December 2023 to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander

Invest in renewable energy – Energy Policy

25 YEARS ON

1998 MUA DISPUTE In April this year we recall the events that shocked a nation 25 years ago in April 1998 when the Patrick Stevedores corporation - aided and abetted by the Howard government - sacked all of its stevedoring workers in the dead of night. Security guards wearing balaclavas accompanied by barely restrained attack dogs appeared on the wharfs of Australia. They were there to lock dockworkers out of their place of work. The Act of Bastardry set in motion 12 months of action that galvanized the trade union movement, for many it was a defining struggle that epitomised the power of our solidarity and our ability to take on and beat even the toughest of opponents.

The Picket Line by ETU member Doug Sherrington (1914-1999) They stand there on the picket line The Union flag flies tall The struggle for the right to work To guard this right for all. They stand and fight for what is right No man dare call them coward To fight the ruthless Reith And the tyranny of Howard. For they all know the evil scheme that he grabs Now Corrigan has stacked his wharves With Dobermans and scabs. They tell you how at midnight In stealth and sneakily They came for them with dogs last night And now they’ll come for you and me.

So all must stand with Union mates Together win the fight That to be a Union member Is a democratic right. For if we fail each other We ill live to see the day We let down all our workers mates And failed the MUA. So stand together proudly Take pride each time you say To Howard, Reith and Corrigan The Union’s here to stay. And shout it from the rooftops Make sure its oft repeated When workers stand united THEY WILL NEVER BE DEFEATED. Published in the Winter 1999 edition of the Electrical Worker