Labour history and its people: the 12th Biennial National Labour History Conference, Australian National University, 15-17 September 2011.
Kimber, Julie ; Shields, John
Canberra in spring can be beautiful--as it was during the three
days in September when we were greeted with warmth as we gathered for
the 12th National Labour History Conference. Hosted by the Canberra
branch of the Australia Society for the Study of Labour History (ASSLH),
in association with the National Centre of Biography, and held at the
Manning Clark Centre at the Australian National University (ANU), it was
a fitting homecoming for the Society on its 50th anniversary A tour of
Canberra led by Sigrid McCausland, Rosemary Webb, Peter Ellett and Bill
Thompson headed a full and enjoyable conference--a highlight of which
was the celebration and awarding of a certificate of appreciation to
John Merritt, a veteran founder of ASSLH.
Senator John Faulkner began the formal conference proceedings with
his ANU Archives lecture, 'Proud Past, Bright Future'. It
provided a grounded perspective of the past and future of labour
history. Faulkner's lecture was followed by Kim Sattler's
discussion of the new 'National Museum of Labour'. Located in
Canberra, it promises to be a significant cementing of working lives in
the imaginings of Australians in the twenty-first century
In deference to the 50-year celebrations of ASSLH, the second day
of the conference was devoted to a single session with papers dealing
with these bigger issues and the role of labour history in contemporary
life. Stuart Macintyre's keynote address on 'Fifty Years Hard
Labour: A Retrospect' was a recollection of the struggles of the
Society to remake working-class history, and relocate it from a marginal
to a central preoccupation of Australian historians. And befitting a
Society in its 50th year, a session was held, to challenge and to
charge, on 'The Theory Thing'. John Shields, Verity Burgmann
and Geoffrey Robinson each discussed the role and value of theory in
history. It was a passionate call for innovation in our theoretical
understanding of working-class studies, and a reinvigoration of what we
do. The following session, by Don MacRaild and Neville Kirk, signaled
what would be one of the signature themes of this conference: the rising
tide of interest in transnational labour. In an engaging discussion the
two drew on Irish diasporas and British influences to undercut any
habitual notions of a remote and unique Australia and, in the process,
highlighted the kindred connections across the seas. Later, Peter Love
(Melbourne), Bobbie Oliver (Perth), Gary Lockwood (Adelaide) and Francis
Bedford (Adelaide) discussed labour history and labour and social
movement activism from the perspective of ASSLH branch organisations. In
each presentation, it was apparent that the success of branch life, and
of the Society in general, rested on its activist foundations. Each talk
provided a salutary reminder that labour history breathes, in and out of
academe. Gary Lockwood and Frances Bedford's presentation on the
life and times of South Australian and UK feminist-activist Muriel
Matters, was especially memorable for its passion and polish.
The central theme of the conference--labour history and its
people--was examined in the two major biographical projects being
undertaken in this country. First, Melanie Nolan discussed the
Australian Dictionary of Biography's new initiative,
'Obituaries Australia' and its potential for the inclusion of
working people into the Australian narrative. Second, the
'Biographical Register of the Australian Labour Movement'--a
labour of love by Andrew Moore and John Shields, joined recently by
Yasmin Rittau--was launched, in mock-homage to Captain De Groot, at this
most appropriate of moments.
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Fittingly, the afternoon of this busy full day was rounded out by a
discussion by Sigrid McCausland and Maggie Shapley of the immense value
of our archival sources. The day provided a solid undercarriage, both
comforting and confronting, of what it is we do, should do, and could
do, to enlarge our understanding of labour, and its people.
Friday evening brought a change of tempo, with some 60 attendees
participating in the conference dinner at The Gods, ANU. During the
evening the ASSLH President, Nikki Balnave, announced the journal's
2011 prize-winning authors: Sue Taffe, Brad Bowden and Verity Archer
(see the separate report in this issue).
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The third and final day offered a daunting array of choice,
including 40 papers distributed across six parallel sessions, resulting
in some deft footwork by comrades intent on hearing the papers of their
choice. Again, the biographical theme was very much in evidence, as was
that of transnational labour/labour mobility. Fran Laneyrie's
presentation on women in the Illawarra labour movement offered fresh
insights on the private side of activism, and the gendered nature of
activist identity and leadership. David Palmer gave a rousing
presentation on the life and agency of United States shipyard organiser,
John W. Brown; Peter Clayworth offered a new interpretation of
Australasian labour activist, Pat Hickey; and Desley Deacon drew on
biographical case studies to examine the actress as worker. Jack Mundey
spoke alongside Verity and Meredith Burgmann in a session celebrating
the 40th anniversary of the first Green Ban. Sue Taffe and Heather
Goodall sparked lively discussion with their papers on Shirley Andrews
and Kevin Cook. There were also some outstanding presentations on the
themes of labour and war, activism and the Cold War, labour women's
leadership, religion and radicalism, the value of image and film as
sources on labour history, and labour and music, with the Canberra Union
Voices Choir providing the perfect ambience for the latter.
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The conference wrapped up with a plenary session on Labor
politics--past and present. Chris Wallace spoke on Julia Gillard's
journey from working-class Barry to the Canberra political cauldron,
while Ray Markey highlighted the parallels between the Federal
Australian elections of 1929 and 2007--a topic that may well warrant a
sequel at the Society's next biennial conference, in 2013.
Organising a conference of this scale is no mean achievement and
stalwarts of the Canberra branch deserve all praise for putting it
together and making it run so smoothly. Particular thanks go to Peter
Ellett and Melanie Nolan. Of disagreement and debate there was certainly
plenty--and the robust nature of these exchanges bodes well for the
future of the Society, its branches, and the journal.
Julie Kimber and John Shields *
Julie Kimber is a Lecturer and Convenor in Politics and Public
Policy at Swinburne University of Technology and an affiliate researcher
with the Democracy and Justice Research Flagship at the The Swinburne
Institute for Social Research. She is active in the Melbourne Branch of
ASSLH and is a member of the Book Review team for Labour History.
jkimber@swin.edu.au
John Shields is a Professor in the Discipline of Work and
Organisational Studies, the University of Sydney Business School, where
he teaches human resource management. He is also Associate Dean
(Postgraduate) in the Business School. John has been a member of ASSLH
for over 30 years, serving on the Executive and Editorial Board for most
of that time. He is the incoming editor of Labour History.
john.shields@sydney.edu.au
