Jump to content

Michele O'Neil

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Michele O'Neil
O'Neil speaking at the 2021 Palm Sunday refugee rally in Melbourne.
11th President of the ACTU
Assumed office
28 July 2018
Preceded byGed Kearney
Personal details
Born
Michele O'Neil

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Michele O'Neil is an Australian trade unionist and president of the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) since 2018.[1]

Union career

[edit]

O'Neil was previously the Branch and National Secretary of the Textile Clothing and Footwear Union of Australia (TCFUA).

Union movement

[edit]

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.[1]

O'Neil spoke in favour of scrapping boat turn-backs in 2015 when a delegate at the Labor party conference.[citation needed]

In 2018, O'Neil was elected president of the ACTU.[2]

Personal life

[edit]

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 five daughters. O'Neil's father served in the army, before serving as a public servant and briefly as an Australian Football League (AFL) administrator.[3]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Staff (17 July 2018). "Michele O'Neil's ascent to ACTU president". SBS News. Special Broadcasting Service. AAP. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  2. ^ "Labor downplays union refugee policy push - 9News". www.9news.com.au.
  3. ^ "Meet the new ACTU President, Michele O'Neil". Union Aid Abroad – APHEDA. Retrieved 23 May 2019.