Michele O'Neil
Michele O'Neil | |
|---|---|
.jpg) O'Neil speaking at the 2021 Palm Sunday refugee rally in Melbourne. | |
| 11th President of the Australian Council of Trade Unions | |
| Assumed office 28 July 2018 | |
| Preceded by | Ged Kearney |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Michele O'Neil 1962 (age 63–64)[1] |
| Party | Labor[2] |
| Profession | Union official |
Michele O'Neil is an Australian trade unionist and president of the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) since 2018.[3]
Union career
O'Neil served for 28 years as an organiser, campaigner, negotiator, and later state branch and national secretary of the Textile, Clothing and Footwear Union of Australia.[4] In 2018 she led her union into an amalgamation with the CFMEU and MUA and became a CFMEU Vice President.[2][5]
In 2004, she told union members to consider cutting ties with the Australian Labor Party (ALP) over tariff cuts in the clothing, footwear and textiles industries.[5] She criticised the Gillard government in 2012, claiming they were "undercutting" workers in the textile industry by reducing funding to the TCF Structural Adjustment Program, a support mechanism for redundant workers in the sector seeking alternative employment.[6]
ACTU president
In 2018, O'Neil was elected president of the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU).[8][2][9] In her first speech as the new president of the ACTU, Michele O'Neil spoke publicly for the first time about being sexually harassed as a teenage waitress, saying that the collective response of her fellow union members and the discipline of her delegate solidified her confidence in unionism as a young employee.[10][2][4]
In September 2021, O'Neil was appointed as a director of superannuation fund AustralianSuper, having previously served as an alternate director.[11]
O'Neil was appointed by the Albanese government to the Net Zero Economy Authority Board in 2024 and the National Workplace Relations Consultative Council in 2025. Both roles are due to expire in 2027.[12][13]
Together with Sally McManus, O'Neil and McManus were the first all-female leadership pair of the ACTU, playing a major role in getting Australian legislation enacted for the right to disconnect and criminalising wage theft,[14] and achieving more rights for gig economy employees.[15] Under the leadership of O'Neil and McManus, the Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union, alleged to be male-dominated and have criminal infiltration, was suspended.[15][3]
O'Neil announced that she would resign as president of the ACTU before the end of 2026.[16][17][18] O'Neil said that part of the reason for her resignation was that union membership was starting to grow.[15] Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese described O'Neil and McManus as "giants of the labour movement".[14][1]
Personal life
Born in Melbourne, O'Neil is the youngest of five daughters. Her mother left school at 13 to work in a tannery in Melbourne and worked as a waitress, and in various other casual jobs while raising her children.[4] O'Neil's father served in the army, before serving as a public servant and briefly as an Australian Football League (AFL) administrator.[19]
O'Neil credited her parents and four older sisters with introducing her to social justice causes by taking her to the Aboriginal Tent Embassy in Canberra when she was just 10 and to protest marches as a teenager in support of freeing imprisoned South African anti-Apartheid leader Nelson Mandela.[20]
References
- 1 2 Muroi, Millie (27 July 2026). "ACTU leaders to go by year's end after COVID, CFMEU saga". Nine Entertainment Co. Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 3 August 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 McKinnon, Alex (21 July 2018). "New ACTU president Michele O'Neil". Schwartz Media. The Saturday Paper. Archived from the original on 3 August 2026. Retrieved 3 August 2026.
- 1 2 "Michele O'Neil - President". actu.org.au. Australian Council of Trade Unions. Archived from the original on 4 August 2026. Retrieved 4 August 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Meet Michele O'Neil". rtbu.org.au. Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU). 1 March 2019. Archived from the original on 4 August 2026. Retrieved 4 August 2026.
- 1 2 Staff (17 July 2018). "Michele O'Neil's ascent to ACTU president". SBS News. Special Broadcasting Service. AAP. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
- ↑ "Unions' million dollar rage". Yaffa Media. Ragtrader. 23 October 2012. Retrieved 4 August 2026.
- ↑ "Timor-Leste thanks Australian unions for independence aid". SBS Australia. SBS News. 31 August 2019. Retrieved 3 August 2026.
- ↑ "Labor downplays union refugee policy push". www.9news.com.au. 20 July 2018.
- ↑ Coughlan, Matt (17 July 2018). "Michele O'Neil's ascent to ACTU president". The Canberra Times. Canberra Times. Retrieved 4 August 2026.
- ↑ Patty, Anna (17 July 2018). "#MeToo: New ACTU president reveals what drives her". Nine Entertainment Co. Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 4 August 2026.
- ↑ Dastoor, Chris. "AustralianSuper appoints Michele O'Neil as director". superreview.com. Super Review. Retrieved 4 August 2026.
- ↑ "National Workplace Relations Consultative Council". www.directory.gov.au. Australian Government. Retrieved 4 August 2026.
- ↑ "Net Zero Economy Authority (Board)". www.directory.gov.au. Australian Government. Retrieved 4 August 2026.
- 1 2 Dan Jervis-Bardy; Nick Visser; Sarah Basford Canales (27 July 2026). "PM praises Sally McManus and Michele O'Neil as 'giants' as they resign from ACTU". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Wikidata Q140783306. Archived from the original on 31 July 2026.
- 1 2 3 Mark Bray (28 July 2026). "After a decade leading the ACTU, what is the legacy of Sally McManus and Michele O'Neil?". The Conversation. ISSN 2431-2134. Wikidata Q140783009. Archived from the original on 31 July 2026.
- ↑ Marin-Guzman, David (27 July 2026). "ACTU leadership to step down, make way for new generation". Nine Entertainment Co. Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 3 August 2026.
- ↑ "ACTU leaders Sally McManus and Michele O'Neil to step aside for 'new generation'". SBS Australia. SBS News. 28 July 2026. Retrieved 3 August 2026.
- ↑ Manfield, Evelyn (27 July 2026). "ACTU leaders Sally McManus and Michele O'Neil step aside for 'new generation'". ABC News. Archived from the original on 27 July 2026. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
- ↑ "Meet the new ACTU President, Michele O'Neil". Union Aid Abroad – APHEDA. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
- ↑ Alcorn, Gay (17 July 2018). "'This is the moment': new ACTU president Michele O'Neil is ready to win change". The Guardian Australia. theguardian.com. Retrieved 4 August 2026.