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List of trade unions in Australia

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This is a list of trade unions in Australia. Trade unions can be registered with the federally-based Fair Work Commission or with an equivalent state-based industrial relations regulatory body. Registration allows a trade union to formally represent members in industrial disputes.

The peak body for unions in Australia is the Australian Council of Trade Unions. Each state and territory of Australia also has an organisation representing trade unions, known as trades and labour councils. Membership of either peak body is not compulsory.

Current registered trade unions

A federally registered trade union is an employee association that has a minimum of 50 employee members and complies with the criteria set out in Section 19 of the Fair Work (Registered Organisations) Act 2009 and related regulation.

The following is a list of Australian trade unions that are formally registered with the Fair Work Commission, as of 23 April 2026:[1]

More information Union, Abbr. ...
Union Abbr. Sub-Branches Headquarters Industries Founded Ref.
Australasian Meat Industry Employees Union AMIEU Adelaide Meat industry 1906 [2][3]
Australian and International Pilots Association AIPA None Sydney Commercial aviation 1981 [4][5]
Australian Directors Guild Limited ADGL None Sydney Film and television 1982 [6][7]
Australian Education Union AEU Melbourne Education 1984 [8][9]
Australian Federated Union of Locomotive Employees AFULE None Brisbane Rail transport 1921 [10][11]
Australian Federation of Air Pilots AFAP None Melbourne Commercial aviation 1938 [12][13]
Australian Institute of Marine and Power Engineers AIMPE Sydney Maritime transport 1906 [14][15]
Australian Licensed Aircraft Engineers Association ALAEA None Sydney Aircraft engineering 1964 [16][17]
Australian Manufacturing Workers' Union AMWU Sydney Manufacturing et al. 1852 [18][19]
Australian Maritime Officers Union AMOU None Sydney Maritime transport 1889 [20][21]
Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation ANMF Melbourne Nursing and midwifery 1922 [22][23]
Australian Principals Federation APF None Melbourne Education 2006 [24][25]
Australian Rail, Tram and Bus Industry Union ARTBIU Sydney Public transport 1861 [26][27]
Australian Salaried Medical Officers Federation ASMOF Sydney Medical practitioners 1991 [28][29]
Australian Municipal, Administrative, Clerical and Services Union ASU Melbourne Clerical and administrative et al. 1911 [30][31]
Australian Workers' Union AWU Sydney Various 1886 [32][33]
Breweries and Bottleyards Employees' Industrial Union of Workers of Western Australia BEU None Perth Breweries 2010 [34][35]
Civil Air Operations Officers' Association of Australia CAOOAA None Melbourne Air traffic control 1948 [36][37]
Club Managers' Association Australia CMAA None Sydney Club management 1964 [38][39]
Communications Electrical and Plumbing Union CEPU Sydney Plumbing and Electrical trades et al. 1919 [40][41]
Community and Public Sector Union CPSU Sydney Public service et al. 1913 [42][43]
Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union CFMEU Sydney Construction et al. 1962 [44][45]
Salaried Staff United CSRHSA None Brisbane Employees of CSR, Holcim, Wilmar & Viridian 1942 [46][47]
Finance Sector Union of Australia FSU None Melbourne Financial services 1919 [48][49]
Flight Attendants' Association of Australia FAAA None Sydney Commercial flight attendants 1956 [50][51]
Health Services Union HSU Melbourne Health professionals 1911 [52][53]
Independent Education Union of Australia IEUA Canberra Non-government education 1988 [54][55]
Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance MEAA Sydney Performing Arts, Media, Journalism et al. 1992 [56][57]
Mining and Energy Union MEU Sydney Mining 1915 [58][59]
Musicians' Union of Australia MUA
  • MUA Adelaide
  • MUA Brisbane
  • MUA Hobart
  • MUA Melbourne
  • MUA Sydney
  • MUA Launceston
 Adelaide Music industry 1911 [60][61]
National Tertiary Education Union NTEU Melbourne Tertiary education 1986 [62][63]
Police Federation of Australia PFA Canberra Law enforcement 1942 [64][65]
Professionals Australia APESMA Melbourne Science and Technology et al. 1917 [66][67]
Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association SDAUA Melbourne Retail, Warehousing et al. 1908 [68][69]
Transport Workers Union of Australia TWU Sydney Private transportation et al. 1928 [70][71]
Union of Christmas Island Workers UCIW None Christmas Island Christmas Island workers 1995 [72][73]
United Firefighters' Union of Australia UFUA Melbourne Fire and emergency services 1974 [74][75]
United Workers Union UWU None Melbourne Various 2019 [76][77]
Local Government, Racing and Cemeteries Employees Union LGRCEU None Perth Local government in Western Australia 2002 [78][79]
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Other trade unions

Professional athlete associations

Former trade unions

More information Union, Founded ...
Union Founded De-registered Reason for de-registration Ref.
Actors Equity of Australia 1920 1993 Merged with Australian Theatrical and Amusement Employees' Association and Australian Journalists Association to form the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance in 1992
Amalgamated Engineering Union 1852 1973 Merged with the Boilermakers and Blacksmiths' Society of Australia, the Federated Jewellers, Watchmakers and Allied Trades Union of Australia and the Sheet Metal Working Industrial Union of Australia to form the Amalgamated Metal Workers' Union in 1977
Amalgamated Footwear and Textile Workers' Union of Australia 1987 1992 Merged with the Clothing and Allied Trades Union of Australia to form the Textile, Clothing and Footwear Union of Australia in 1992
Amalgamated Postal Workers' Union 1925 1992 Merged with the Australian Telecommunications Employees' Association and the Australian Telephone and Phonogram Officers Association to form the Communication Workers Union of Australia in 1992
Association of Draughting, Supervisory and Technical Employees 1915 1991 Merged with the Amalgamated Metal Workers’ Union to form the Metals and Engineering Workers' Union in 1991
Australasian Society of Engineers 1890 1991 Merged with the Federated Ironworkers' Association of Australia in 1991 to form the Federation of Industrial Manufacturing and Engineering Employees and incorporated into the Australian Workers Union in 1992
Australian Boot Trade Employees' Federation 1908 1988 Merged with the Australian Textile Workers' Union to form the Amalgamated Footwear and Textile Workers' Union of Australia in 1988
Australian Journalists Association 1910 1992 Merged with Actors Equity of Australia and the Australian Theatrical and Amusement Employees' Association to form the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance in 1992
Australian Leather and Allied Trades Employees' Federation 1945 1970 Incorporated into the Federated Miscellaneous Workers' Union of Australia in 1970
Australian Postmasters' Association 1966 1991 Incorporated into the Australian Postal and Telecommunications Union in 1991
Australian Railways Union 1920 1993 Merged with the Australian Federated Union of Locomotive Employees, the Australian Tramway and Motor Omnibus Employees' Association and the National Union of Rail Workers of Australia to form the Australian Rail Tram and Bus Industry Union in 1993
Australian Telecommunications Employees Association 1912 1992 Merged with the Australian Postal and Telecommunications Union to form the Communication Workers Union of Australia in 1992
Australian Telephone and Phonogram Officers Association 1914 1988 Incorporated into the Australian Telecommunications Employees' Association in 1988
Australian Textile Workers' Union 1919 1987 Merged with the Australian Boot Trade Employees' Federation to form the Amalgamated Footwear and Textile Workers' Union of Australia in 1987
Australian Theatrical and Amusement Employees' Association 1910 1993 Queensland branch split and merged with the Australian Workers' Union in 1991, remainder of union merged with Australian Journalists' Association and Actors Equity of Australia to form the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance in 1993
Australian Tramway and Motor Omnibus Employees' Association 1910 1993 Merged with the Australian Federated Union of Locomotive Employees, the National Union of Rail Workers of Australia and the Australian Railways Union to form the Australian Rail Tram and Bus Industry Union in 1993
Australian Transport Officers' Federation 1927 1991 Merged with the Municipal Officers Association of Australia and the Technical Service Guild of Australia to form the Australian Municipal Transport Energy Water Ports Community & Information Services Union in 1991
Builders Labourers Federation 1911 1986 Federal registration cancelled by the Hawke government after passing the Builders Labourers' Federation (Cancellation of Registration) Act 1986. The Queensland branch continued as a state-registered union until it merged with the CFMEU in 2014
Building Workers' Industrial Union of Australia 1911 1991 Merged with the Australian Timber and Allied Industries Union to form the "ATAIU & BWIU Amalgamated Union" in 1991, then merged into the Construction Forestry Mining & Energy Union in 1992
Clothing and Allied Trades Union of Australia 1907 1992 Merged with the Amalgamated Footwear and Textile Workers' Union of Australia to form the Textile, Clothing and Footwear Union of Australia in 1992
Commonwealth Bank Officers Association 1930 1994 Incorporated into the Finance Sector Union in 1994
Communication Workers Union of Australia
Confectionery Workers' Union of Australia 1925 1992
Federated Clerks' Union of Australia 1911 1993
Federated Cold Storage and Meat Preserving Employees Union 1908 1992
Federated Ironworkers' Association of Australia 1911 1991
Federated Liquor and Allied Industries Employees' Union of Australia 1910 1992
Federated Marine Stewards' and Pantrymen's Association of Australasia 1884 1988
Federated Millers and Manufacturing Grocers Union 1988 1992
Federated Miscellaneous Workers' Union of Australia 1915 1992
Federated Moulders' (Metals) Union of Australia 1899 1983
Federated Rubber and Allied Workers' Union of Australia 1909 1988
Federated Ship Painters and Dockers Union 1900 1993
Federated Shipwrights' and Ship Constructors' Association of Australia 1916 1976
Federated Storemen and Packers' Union of Australia 1912 1988
Firemen and Deckhands' Union of New South Wales 1901 1993
Food Preservers' Union of Australia 1898 1992
Forest Products, Furnishing and Allied Industries Industrial Union of Workers
Fremantle Lumpers Union 1889 1946
Funeral and Allied Industries Union of New South Wales
Manufacturing Grocers' Employees' Federation of Australia 1906 1988
Maritime Union of Australia 1993 2018
Marine Cooks, Bakers and Butchers' Association of Australasia 1908 1983
Marine Motor Drivers and Coxswains' Union of New South Wales 1912 1967
National Union of Rail Workers of Australia 1938 1993
National Union of Workers 1989 2019
New South Wales Typographical Association 1880 1916
Queensland Shearers Union 1887 1891
Permanent & Casual Wharf Labourers Union of Australia 1917 1950
Postal Supervisory Officers' Association
Printing and Kindred Industries Union 1966 1995
Professional Divers' Association of Australia 1969 1991
Professional Radio Employees’ Institute of Australasia
Pulp and Paper Workers Federation of Australia 1913 1991
Seamen's Union of Australia 1890 1993
Textile, Clothing and Footwear Union of Australia 1992 2018
Telecommunication Officers Association
Unite Union
United Voice 1992 2019
Union of Postal Clerks and Telegraphists
Vehicle Builders' Employees' Federation of Australia 1863 1993
Victorian Secondary Teachers Association 1953 1995
Victorian Women's Post and Telegraph Association
Waterside Workers' Federation of Australia 1902 1993
Wool and Basil Workers' Federation of Australia 1890 1976
Woolclassers Association of Australia 1997 2009
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