John William MacBean AM (born 11 July 1935) is a former Australian trade union leader and Secretary of 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 ...

from 1984 to 1988.

Early life

John MacBean was born in

Newcastle, New South Wales Newcastle ( ; Awabakal: ) is a metropolitan area and the second most populated city in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It includes the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie local government areas, and is the hub of the Greater Newcastle area, w ...

on 11 July 1935, the son of Jack and Eileen MacBean. His father was a first aid attendant at the Broadmeadow locomotive workshops and later Vice-President of the state branch of the

Australian Railways Union The Australian Railways Union (ARU) was an Australian trade union in existence from 1920 to 1993. The ARU was an industrial union, representing all types of workers employed in the rail industry, excluding locomotive enginedrivers and tradesme ...

. He left school at 15 to take up an apprenticeship with the Newcastle Electricity Supply Council Administration as an electrical fitter.

Career

After completing his apprenticeship MacBean became a delegate for the Electrical Trades Union, later becoming an organiser in 1964. He was also a member of the Adamstown branch 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 ...

(ALP) and a Newcastle city councillor. In 1972 he was appointed as industrial officer at the

, the peak representative body for trade unions in the state, and then elected as an organiser in 1975. MacBean was a member of the right wing of the labour movement and was supported by the Secretary of the Labor Council,

Barrie Unsworth Barrie John Unsworth (born 16 April 1934) is a former Australian politician, representing the Labor Party in the Parliament of New South Wales from 1978 to 1991. He served as the 36th Premier from July 1986 to March 1988. Early years Unswo ...

, who was also from the right. In 1979 MacBean was elected Assistant Secretary of the Labor Council and then Secretary in 1984. He would continue to hold the position of Secretary until 1988. During this period he adopted a more conciliatory approach towards the left-wing unions than his predecessor, Unsworth. He also served as President of the NSW branch of the ALP from 1983 to 1989, as well as Senior 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 ...

from 1985 to 1989.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:MacBean, John Australian trade unionists Members of the Order of Australia 1935 births Living people Councillors of Sydney County Council