The ACTU Congress of 2006 and Its Aftermath (Research Report) (Australian Council of Trade Unions) (Conference News‪)‬

The 2006 Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) Congress was opened by President Sharan Burrow at 10.00am 24 October. It closed the next day after an extended morning's business at 1.15pm. It was the briefest Congress for at least 30 years; its focus was the sole and singular challenge of overturning the industrial relations policies of the federal government led by then Prime Minister John Howard. The previous Congress, in 2003, had lasted for four days and considered some 30 items of business. (1) The Congress was held at the Crown Promenade Hotel on Melbourne's Southbank, with the business conducted in a large room with theatre style seating for approximately 650 delegates and media. Notable by their absence was the usual significant cohort of international union leaders. None attended the 2006 Congress; their greetings and good wishes were instead relayed in a short video shown to delegates. This was the third Congress for the leadership team of Sharan Burrow and Secretary Greg Combet. ACTU Assistant Secretary Richard Marles reported on the first day of Congress that there were 543 delegates from 62 organisations with 1,625 votes. (2) The organisations comprised 46 unions and 16 state and local labour councils. Approximately 60 per cent of the votes were in the hands of the largest nine unions: Australian Education Union (AEU), 134; Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU), 112; Australian Services Union (ASU), 80; Australian Workers Union (AWU), 102; Communications Electrical and Plumbing Union (CEPU), 82; Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU), 84; Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU), 92; Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union (LHMU), 100; and Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Union (SDA), 174. (3) There was no occasion on which votes were counted reflecting the practice of recent Congresses. Consensus had again been forged pre Congress and prevailed.