How a bloke with a stutter changed the way we talk about wages
Then 140 years later, Danielle (her last name is not given in the book) tells another story, this time to an Inquiry into Price Gouging and Unfair Pricing Practices. There was an imbalance, she argued: working people were suffering while large corporations were posting major profits. 'I never thought I'd be considering whether I pay for a family member's medication or whether we can go to the doctor.' She worked full time as a nurse but was considering a second job to make ends meet.
And British-born James Galloway, a leader of the Stonemasons' Society, fighting for the eight-hour work day, while a Melbourne developer dismissed the demands. Apparently, the timing wasn't right. Such a familiar argument. We also meet Lara Watson, a self-described 'mouthy barmaid', who unionised her entire workplace in six weeks.
Byrne also tells the story of one man who was not a unionist but had an enormous impact on all of us. I knew about the Harvester judgment, but not much about the man who handed it down. He had one of the biggest impacts on Australian working conditions – the president of the Commonwealth Court of Conciliation and Arbitration, James Bournes Higgins. He'd entered law because he thought constant public speaking would help him with his stutter. His decision to rule on what was really a 'fair and reasonable wage' had an impact on Australians for decades.
Byrne doesn't shy away from telling us that unions face hurdles. Membership is in decline while Australia witnesses 'growing wealth inequality, a reduction in real wages, a loosening of workplace protections, the growth of insecure work, and the rise of the gig economy', he writes. Is this a blip? Or a trajectory?
Loading
Criticisms? He doesn't have much of a gossipy intent. I wanted to know much more about what happened after the ALP lost the 2019 election – it was like the whole nation had rejected Change The Rules. But just a few months later, unions had a decisive effect on managing the COVID pandemic. From being resolutely anti-union, the Coalition took on board the wage subsidy program now known as JobKeeper, a direct result of union advocacy. How on earth did that happen?
And now, the union movement has shored up rights for gig workers, improved gender equity, made it possible for unions to bargain collectively with multiple employers at once.
So there are a few things missing in the here and now. Journalists love the first draft of history. Historians want the full story. Byrne is absolutely going to have to write the next volume.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


West Australian
4 hours ago
- West Australian
One person missing after reports boat capsized at Sanur Beach, Bali
One person is missing after reports a boat capsized off the coast of Bali. 7NEWS reported the boat, understood to be carrying 80 passengers, flipped at Sanur Beach after returning from Nusa Lembongan about 3pm on Tuesday. It is unclear if there were any Australians on board. Shocking footage shows multiple people being helped out of the water, including one woman being carried away. Large waves are also seen crashing over the capsized vessel, just metres from shore.


Perth Now
4 hours ago
- Perth Now
WATCH: Person missing after boat capsizes off Bali coast
Shocking footage shows multiple people being helped out of the water, including one woman being carried away. One person is missing after reports a boat capsized off the coast of Bali. 7NEWS reported the boat, understood to be carrying 80 passengers, flipped at Sanur Beach after returning from Nusa Lembongan about 3pm on Tuesday. It is unclear if there were any Australians on board. Shocking footage shows multiple people being helped out of the water, including one woman being carried away. Large waves are also seen crashing over the capsized vessel, just metres from shore. A woman being carried away from the water. Credit: 7NEWS

ABC News
12 hours ago
- ABC News
Two in five young Australians feel lonely
Loneliness is usually considered a problem for older people but a new report has found that 43 per cent of young Australians, feel lonely.