Speeches & Opinions

Read speeches and opinion articles by ACTU officers and staff.

Our collection contains speeches delivered at conferences, forums, summits, rallies and events by Executive and senior ACTU staff.  It also contains op eds – previously published in mainstream media – by the ACTU President, ACTU Secretary or ACTU Assistant Secretaries.


Recent Speeches & Opinions

Jeff Lawrence address to AWU National Conference 2011

February 14, 2011

At this AWU conference we are celebrating 125 years. Reminding us that unions have a long proud history in Australia that is older than the nation itself.

Read More

Ross Gittins address to ACTU Whitlam Lecture

November 30, 2010

Just about everyone has it firmly fixed in their mind that the gap between rich and poor is growing – the rich are getting richer and the poor getting poorer.

Read More

Ged Kearney address to 9th Annual Workforce Conference

November 22, 2010

If you have been reading newspapers over the past few weeks, you would think that Australia was on the verge of a massive wages break-out and the pre-Christmas beer strike had been revived from the ‘70s.

Read More

Ged Kearney address to Ai Group National Forum

October 25, 2010

We may not always see eye-to-eye, but the ACTU and the Ai Group have enjoyed a constructive working relationship over the past few years.

Read More

Ged Kearney opinion piece: An independent union voice

October 13, 2010

The traditional ties with Labor will remain – for some unions more closely than others – but unions will work with elected representatives who show a genuine commitment to enhancing workers’ rights – and of taking a long-term view to improving our members’ lives.

Read More

Ged Kearney address to Industrial Relations Society of Victoria Annual Convention

October 8, 2010

One of the things I’d like to talk to you about is how the ACTU and our unions will function in this new political environment and that may well include working with Adam and his colleagues in the Greens – along with the independents – where necessary.

Read More

Ged Kearney address to National Press Club: A vision for the Australian union movement

October 6, 2010

Regardless of the novelty of the current political environment the long term task of the union movement and my role as part of its leadership is to help build our membership, improve our capacity to campaign, and broaden our agenda.

Read More

Ged Kearney: WA is not an island

September 11, 2010

Different as WA is, the state is not an island, argues ACTU President Ged Kearney. To be part of an integrated national economy, Western Australia must also be part of an integrated national IR system.

Read More

Ged Kearney: Collaborative Industrial Relations: Australia’s Future or Another Pipe Dream

August 27, 2010

I do believe in the power of collaboration as a mechanism for positive change. At the end of the election – whoever forms Government – we now have a consensus on IR that provides a foundation for collaboration in workplace policy going forward.

Read More

Ged Kearney: Don’t buy Abbott’s conversion on WorkChoices

August 10, 2010

It is absolutely appalling that so far into the election campaign, Abbott is refusing to release an industrial relations policy or honestly tell the public what he has planned.

Read More

The ACTU Network

Australian Unions

Whether you want to join a union, take action in campaigns, or make the most of the benefits of being a union member, Australian Unions is the place to go for information and resources.
Visit Australian Unions

Mind Your Head

We’re taking action to protect workplace mental health.
Visit Mind Your Head

Worksite

Your rights at work for students and for people entering the workforce for the first time.
Visit Worksite

OHS

Information and resources for health and safety representatives and workers about how to speak up at work for health and safety.
Visit OHS

Union Aid Abroad

Union Aid Abroad-APHEDA is the overseas aid and development agency of the ACTU. Our work aims to build self-reliance through support to educational and training projects for workers and their organisations in the developing world.
Visit Union Aid Abroad

ACTU National Union Directory

Find who you are looking for from the who’s who of the union movement.
Visit the ACTU National Union Dictionary

Representing Australian workers and their families.