The Australasian Society of Engineers (ASE) was an Australian trade union active from 1890 to 1991. It was eventually incorporated into the

Australian Workers' Union The Australian Workers' Union (AWU) is one of Australia's largest and oldest trade unions. It traces its origins to unions founded in the pastoral and mining industries in the 1880s and currently has approximately 80,000 members. It has exerci ...

(AWU).

History

In 1890, the Australasian Society of Engineers was established as a breakaway from the

Amalgamated Society of Engineers The Amalgamated Society of Engineers (ASE) was a major British trade union, representing factory workers and mechanics. History The history of the union can be traced back to the formation of the Journeymen Steam Engine, Machine Makers' and Mi ...

(later known as the Amalgamated Engineering Union).Australasian Society of Engineers (ii) (1938 - 1991)

Australian Trade Union Archives Australian Trade Union Archives is a website intended to be an online resource for archived and present day material related to industrial organisations in Australia. It went online in 2002. It is a joint project of the Australian Science and Tec ...

. Retrieved 8 January 2017. The Amalgamated Society had been formed by members of the British union of the same name, and the split occurred due to accusations of interference from Britain. The two organisations operated in parallel for over 80 years, and were constantly competing for members. The ASE was first federally registered in 1910. In February 1938, it was deregistered by Judge Beeby of the

Commonwealth Court of Conciliation and Arbitration The Commonwealth Court of Conciliation and Arbitration was an Australian court that operated from 1904 to 1956 with jurisdiction to hear and arbitrate interstate industrial disputes, and to make awards. It also had the judicial functions of in ...

, who determined that it had organised an illegal strike at a dockyard in New South Wales. The union was re-registered in August 1938, at which point it had around 6,000 members."RE-REGISTRATION FOR ENGINEERS."
''The Sydney Morning Herald'', 10 August 1938. The ASE amalgamated with the

Federated Ironworkers' Association of Australia The Federated Ironworkers' Association of Australia (FIA) was an Australian trade union which existed between 1911 and 1991. It represented labourers and semi-skilled workers employed in the steel industry and ironworking, and later also the che ...

in 1991, forming the Federation of Industrial Manufacturing and Engineering Employees (FIMEE). FIMEE was merged into the

(AWU) the following year.

Notable officials

Frank Connors Francis Patrick (Frank) Connors (12 January 1888 – 6 November 1963) was an Australian politician and trade unionist. He served as a member of the Labor Party in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1930 to 1932, representing the e ...

, ASE official in New South Wales, later elected to state parliament *

Edgar Dawes Edgar Rowland Dawes (28 November 1902 – 5 August 1973) was an Australian politician. He was a Labor Party member of the South Australian House of Assembly from 1930 until 1933, representing the electorate of Sturt. He was the leader of ...

, ASE official in South Australia, later elected to state parliament *

Valma Ferguson Valma Eileen Ferguson, ''née'' Tucker (born 20 November 1941) is a former Australian politician. She was born in Perth to truck driver Robert Henry Tucker and Mavis Irene Higham. After finishing school at Girdlestone High School, she worked for ...

, ASE official in Western Australia, later elected to state parliament *

Pat Galvin Patrick Galvin (30 March 1911 – 24 September 1980) was an Australian politician. Biography Born in Quorn, South Australia, he was educated at Rostrevor College. Galvin was an engineer by profession, but became involved in the trade unio ...

, ASE official in South Australia, later elected to the House of Representatives *

Ern Klauer Ernest Leopold William Klauer (1870 – 6 August 1915) was an engineer, trade unionist and politician in South Australia. History Ernest Klauer was born in Adelaide in 1870; his father, (Friedrich Wilhelm) August Klauer, born in Aschersleben, ...

, ASE official in South Australia, later elected to state parliament * John Harris, ASE official in Western Australia, later elected to the Senate * Frederick Marshall, ASE official in Western Australia, later elected to state parliament *

Frank Mossfield Frank William Mossfield is a former Australian politician. He was a Labor member of the Australian House of Representatives from March 1996 to October 2004, representing the Division of Greenway. Pre-politics Mossfield was born in Annanda ...

, ASE official in New South Wales, later elected to the House of Representatives

References

{{Reflist, 30em 1890 establishments in Australia 1991 disestablishments in Australia Defunct trade unions of Australia Trade unions established in 1890 Trade unions disestablished in 1991 Engineering trade unions Australasia