Early Trade Union Organization in Australia: Three Australian Colonies, 1829–1850

Abstract

This paper analyses the origins of organized labour in three Australian colonies prior to the 1850's goldrushes. The aim is not simply to fill an empirical gap, but to question prevailing views upon the emergence of trade unions and the formation of the Australian working class. In so doing, a number of enduring preoccupations within the historiography of labour are also challenged. In particular, it is argued that a broader conception of worker organization and struggles is required, one which critically and simultaneously considers the institutional and non institutional dimensions of collective action.