The Australian Government Workers Association was an Australian trade union representing workers employed by state and federal governments, despite its name based only in South Australia. It was founded on 26 May 1906 by Ernest Roberts as the South Australian Railways General Workers' Association, but in August that year broadened its reach and renamed itself the South Australian Government General Workers' Association. Around 1913, it expanded its reach to include both state and federal government employees. In September 1914, it was renamed the Australian Government Workers Association. A number of South Australian Labor figures served in union leadership, including Edward Alfred Anstey, John McInnes,

Ralph Jacobi Ralph Jacobi (4 December 192816 January 2002) was an Australian politician. He was an Australian Labor Party member of the Australian House of Representatives from 1969 until 1987. Before parliament, Jacobi was employed in the merchant navy an ...

Frank Nieass Frank Keen Nieass (25 October 1886 – 28 August 1967) was an Australian politician. He was a Labor member of the South Australian House of Assembly, representing East Torrens East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or poi ...

, John Price and George Weatherill, while

Dorothy Coombe Dorothy Sargent Coombe (17 March 1896 – 27 November 1982) was an early Australian trade unionist. She was a long-running assistant secretary of the Australian Government Workers Association, setting a record in this capacity, and was the first wo ...

was a notable early woman union official. The forerunners of the

United Firefighters Union of South Australia United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * United (2003 film), ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * United (2011 film) ...

broke away from the union in the early 1970s after being dissatisfied with their representation. In 1974, the union faced scandal when its secretary was charged and acquitted of eight counts of fraud. The charges led to a bitter internal dispute which included a legal battle and a physical brawl at a union meeting and threatened to spill over into internal state Labor politics. In 1979, the South Australian branch was reported to have a membership of 12,000. It merged into the

Federated Miscellaneous Workers' Union of Australia The Federated Miscellaneous Workers' Union (F.M.W.U.), commonly known as the 'Missos', was an Australian trade union which existed between 1915 and 1992. It represented an extremely diverse and disparate range of occupations, but its core support ...

1980.

References

{{reflist Defunct trade unions of Australia Civil service trade unions Trade unions established in 1906 Trade unions disestablished in 1980