Beyond Peak Body Authority: Power Relations In The Trades Hall Council (THC)

Abstract

This article explores power relationships between the Melbourne Trades Hall Council and its affiliates in the 1950s and 1960s. The emphasis in the Australian peak body literature on authority, and the focus on the national peak body, limits its explanatory power. Turning attention to examining relationships through the lens of Hyman's notion of ‘power for’ and ‘power over’ extends the still limited theoretical analysis of peak bodies. Particular attention is given to the role of the Disputes Committee in the construction and interpretation of ‘power over’ and ‘power for’.