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Paul Howes (born 23 August 1981) was involved in the Australian trade union movement from 1999 through 2014. His most recent position was as National Secretary of 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 ...
, the youngest person to serve in that position. In 2008, Howes was elected as Vice President of the
Australian Council of Trade Unions The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU), originally the Australasian Council of Trade Unions, is the largest peak body representing workers in Australia. It is a national trade union centre of 46 affiliated unions and eight trades and la ...
, and he served on a number of Government boards. Howes resigned from his position as AWU National Secretary on 24 March 2014; he formally stepped down in July. He is now a partner at
KPMG KPMG International Limited (or simply KPMG) is a multinational professional services network, and one of the Big Four accounting organizations. Headquartered in Amstelveen, Netherlands, although incorporated in London, England, KPMG is a net ...
.


Background and early career

Howes entered politics while still at Blaxland High School in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales, joining the
far-left Far-left politics, also known as the radical left or the extreme left, are politics further to the left on the left–right political spectrum than the standard political left. The term does not have a single definition. Some scholars consider ...
political groups Democratic Socialist Party and Resistance. He did not finish high school, leaving in Year 9. However, by the age of 16, after a "solidarity" trip to Cuba to the World Festival for Youth and Students, Howes abandoned far-left politics and joined the
Australian Labor Party The Australian Labor Party (ALP), also simply known as Labor, is the major centre-left political party in Australia, one of two major parties in Australian politics, along with the centre-right Liberal Party of Australia. The party forms the f ...
. In an interview with the newspaper ''
The Age ''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria (Australia), Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Austral ...
'' Howes stated that while in Cuba his mind was changed by the reality of what he saw, which contradicted the political beliefs he held at the time: "A beautiful country with beautiful people, but I didn't like seeing people getting arrested or the clear and transparent oppression and propaganda, and I eventually thought, 'This is all bonkers.'" Howes has three children from his first marriage. He is married to Qantas executive Olivia Wirth.


Trade union career

Howes became a union official at the age of 17 when he was employed as a research officer by the
Labor Council of New South Wales The Labor Council of New South Wales, branded Unions NSW, is the peak body for trade unions in the state of New South Wales, Australia. As of 2005 there are 67 unions and 8 Rural and Regional Trades & Labor Councils affiliated to the Labor Coun ...
(now Unions New South Wales). He joined the Australian Workers' Union as an official in
New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...
in 2002 and was later recruited to the National Office of the union. In 2005 he was elected as the union's National Vice President, becoming the youngest national official in the history of the union. He was elected National Secretary of the Australian Workers' Union following the election of former AWU National Secretary
Bill Shorten William Richard Shorten (born 12 May 1967) is an Australian politician currently serving as Minister for Government Services and Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme since 2022. He previously served as leader of the opposition ...
to the
Australian House of Representatives The House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Australia, the upper house being the Senate. Its composition and powers are established in Chapter I of the Constitution of Australia. The term of members of the ...
in November 2007. Howes was also Deputy Chair of AustralianSuper, one of the largest superannuation trusts in Australia. He was also a member of the National Executive of the
Australian Labor Party The Australian Labor Party (ALP), also simply known as Labor, is the major centre-left political party in Australia, one of two major parties in Australian politics, along with the centre-right Liberal Party of Australia. The party forms the f ...
. He was a director of the Chifley Research Centre and the McKell Institute as well as representing the Asia Pacific Region on the executive committee of the IndustriALL Global Union. Howes came to national attention as a union spokesperson for the miners during the Beaconsfield Mine Disaster. In December 2008, Howes was elected Vice President of the Australian Council of Trade Unions. In February 2009 and February 2013, he was re-elected unopposed as the National Secretary of The Australian Workers' Union. An episode of
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...
program ''
Australian Story ''Australian Story'' is a national weekly current affairs and documentary style television series which is broadcast on ABC Television. It is produced specifically by the ABC News and Current Affairs Department. The program first aired on 29 ...
'', broadcast August 2010, highlighted his influence within Labor, especially leading up to the
2010 Australian federal election The 2010 Australian federal election was held on Saturday, 21 August 2010 to elect members of the 43rd Parliament of Australia. The incumbent centre-left Australian Labor Party led by Prime Minister Julia Gillard won a second term against the op ...
. In November 2010 Howes wrote ''Confessions of a Faceless Man: inside campaign 2010'', an autobiographical analyses of the election and 18 months in Australian politics. He also gave a speech to the
Sydney Institute The Sydney Institute is a privately funded Australian policy forum founded in 1989. The institute took over the resources of the Sydney Institute of Public Affairs which ceased activity in the late 1980s. The institute was opened on 23 August 19 ...
, which ''
The Australian ''The Australian'', with its Saturday edition, ''The Weekend Australian'', is a broadsheet newspaper published by News Corp Australia since 14 July 1964.Bruns, Axel. "3.1. The active audience: Transforming journalism from gatekeeping to gatew ...
'' published as an
opinion piece An opinion piece is an article, usually published in a newspaper or magazine, that mainly reflects the author's opinion about a subject. Opinion pieces are featured in many periodicals. Editorials Opinion pieces may take the form of an editorial, ...
headed: "ALP's faceless men must learn to tolerate dissent." In 2013, Howes was considered for an appointment to the Australian Senate, but subsequently withdrew his nomination in September, while announcing his intention to continue to serve as the national secretary of the Australian Workers Union. In explaining his reasons for stepping down, Howes stated that his public support for gay marriage had drawn the ire of pro-Catholic right-wing members of the ALP. Speaking to reporters, Howes stated that “I don't want to be a wrecker and I don't want to divide. It is clear if I was to be a candidate for this position it would be a divisive, negative and destructive fight in the New South Wales branch of the Australian Labor Party.” In a speech in February 2014, Howes provoked controversy by arguing that the biggest problem with industrial relations in Australia is the constant changes in the regulatory framework. He called for a new partnership between business, government and unions to collaborate and agree to a framework which could provide a stable industrial relations environment. Howes declared agreement with the Abbott Government saying there had been "unsustainable growth in wages" in some sectors of the economy. Howes lives in
Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
.


Published works

*


References


External links


Australian Workers' Union

Paul Howes, Australian Labor
{{DEFAULTSORT:Howes, Paul 1981 births Living people Australian trade unionists People from the Blue Mountains (New South Wales)