Australian Manufacturing Workers Union

The Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU), officially registered as the Automotive, Food, Metals, Engineering, Printing, and Kindred Industries Union, is an Australian trade union. The AMWU represents a broad range of workers in the manufacturing and industrial sectors, and is affiliated with the Australian Council of Trade Unions as well as the Australian Labor Party.

AMWU

Automotive, Food, Metals, Engineering, Printing and Kindred Industries Union
Founded	1852
Headquarters	133 Parramatta Rd, Granville, New South Wales
Location	Australia
Members	55,150 (as at 31 December 2023)[1]
Key people	Steve Murphy, National Secretary
Affiliations	ACTU, IndustriALL, ALP
Website	www.amwu.org.au

The AMWU is federally organised into six state branches. Members in the Australian Capital Territory are covered under the New South Wales branch, while members in the Northern Territory are covered under the Queensland branch. Each state branch has its own sub-committee, and there is also an executive committee at the national level.

History

AMWU members protest then-Prime Minister John Howard's IR reforms

The Amalgamated Metal Workers Union (AMWU) was formed in 1972 with the amalgamation of three metal trade unions: the Boilermakers and Blacksmiths Society of Australia (BBS), the Sheet Metal Working Industrial Union of Australia (SMWU), and the Amalgamated Engineering Union (AEU). At its formation, the AMWU had a membership of 171,000, making it the largest organisation in Australia by membership.^[2]

In 1979, the Federated Shipwrights and Ship Constructors Union of Australia amalgamated with the AMWU, which changed its name to the Amalgamated Metal Workers and Shipwrights Union (AMWSU). When the Federated Moulders’ (Metals) Union amalgamated in 1983, the union's name changed slightly to the Amalgamated Metals Foundry & Shipwrights’ Union, but in 1985 it reverted to being the Amalgamated Metal Workers’ Union. By 1987, the union's membership had declined slightly to 163,400.^[3]

During the 1980s, the AMWU played a pivotal role in securing the support of the left wing of the Australian union movement for the Prices and Incomes Accord, which involved unions agreeing to restrict their demands for wage increases in exchange for the federal government implementing policies to advance the 'social wage', including universal health insurance, investment in education, and social welfare.^[4]

In 1991, the AMWU amalgamated with the Association of Draughting Supervisory & Technical Employees (ADSTE) to create the Metals and Engineering Workers’ Union. Two years later, a further amalgamation with the Vehicle Builders Employees’ Federation of Australia resulted in the Automotive Metals & Engineering Union. In 1994, the union merged with the Confectionery Workers' and Food Preservers' Union, itself a recent amalgamation of the Food Preservers' Union of Australia and the Confectionery Workers' Union of Australia, to form the Automotive Food Metals and Engineering Union. Finally, the Printing and Kindred Industries Union amalgamated to form the printing division of the Automotive, Food, Metals, Engineering, Printing, and Kindred Industries Union.

During the 1990s and 2000s, membership of the AMWU declined dramatically, reflecting the rapid decline of the manufacturing sector in Australia, falling from 200,000 in 1995 to 157,000 in 2005.^[3] Losses then accelerated, with membership more than halving over the following decade to 68,008 in 2017.^[5]

National Secretaries

1973: Jack Garland

1981: Jack Kidd

1988: George Campbell

1996: Doug Cameron

2008: Dave Oliver

2012: Paul Bastian

2020: Steve Murphy

Political Activity

The AMWU is one of the most powerful unions in the Labor Left faction of the Australian Labor Party.^[6] During the 2010 Australian federal election the CFMEU and AMWU donated a total of $60,000 to the Greens.^[7]

The South Australian branch of the AMWU was previously affiliated with Labor Unity, but has been affiliated with Labor Left since 2019.^[8] In WA, the AMWU allies with the United Workers Union in forming the majority left faction.^[9]

AMWU-Affiliated Members of Parliament

Multiple Labor politicians are affiliated with the AMWU. These include:

Western Australia (as of 2025)

Name	Seat	Other Position(s)	Ref.
Don Punch	MLA for Bunbury	Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Minister for Water, Minister for Climate Resilience, and Minister for South West	[9][10]
Mark Folkard	MLA for Mindarie		[9]
David Scaife	MLA for Cockburn		[9]
Jodie Hanns	MLA for Collie-Preston		[9]
Yaz Mubarakai	MLA for Oakford		[9]
Divina D'Anna	MLA for Kimberley		[9]
Jessica Stojkovski	MLA for Kingsley	Minister for Child Protection, Minister for Prevention of Family and Domestic Violence, Minister Assisting the Minister for Transport, and Minister for Peel	[9][11]
Rhys Williams	MLA for Mandurah		[9]
Robyn Clarke	MLA for Murray-Wellington		[9]
Kevin Michel	MLA for Pilbara		[9]
Alanna Clohesy	MLC for East Metropolitan	President of the WA Legislative Council	[9][12]
Stephen Dawson	MLC for Mining and Pastoral	Minister for Regional Development, Minister for Ports, Minister for Innovation and the Digital Economy, Minister for Science, Minister for Medical Research, and Minister for the Kimberley.	[9][13]
Katrina Stratton	MLC for South West		[9]

Queensland

Shannon Fentiman is affiliated with the AMWU.^[14]

South Australia

South Australia has no current parliamentarians affiliated with the AMWU. Former MP Jon Gee was affiliated with the AMWU.^[15]

Federal Parliament

Name	Seat	Other Notes	Ref.
Jenny McAllister	Senator for New South Wales		[16]
Tim Ayres	Senator for New South Wales	Minister for Industry and Innovation; Minister for Science	[17]
Ellie Whiteaker	Senator for Western Australia		[18]
Nita Green	Senator for Queensland		[19]
Anne Urquhart	Senator for Tasmania		[20]

Further reading

• Reeves, Andrew and Andrew Dettmer (eds.) Organise, educate, control: the AMWU in Australia, 1852–2012. Clayton, Victoria: Monash University Publishing, 2013. ISBN 9781922235008.