Workers rights movement

Numerous items in the Library’s collection are borne out of protests that took place during the workers’ rights movement. Use this guide to help find and access resources in our collection about the Eureka Stockade, the formation of trade unions, the Cummeragunja Walk-off, the Pilbara Strike and the Gurindji Strike/Wave Hill Walk Off.

Just getting started?

For general sources and search tips to navigate our collections on protest, participation and dissent in Australia, go to our protest and dissent research guide.

Eureka Stockade

We hold some of the rarest materials for the Eureka Stockade in our collection.

A historical scene depicting a military procession of troops on foot and horseback arriving at a government camp with rows of white tents, buildings, and a tall flagpole. The troops are marching along a dirt road surrounded by trees and fences.

A Clint & S.D.S Huyghue & William Bramwell Withers The Government Camp, Ballarat, 1854, troops arriving from Melbourne, 1870, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-135871465

A Clint & S.D.S Huyghue & William Bramwell Withers The Government Camp, Ballarat, 1854, troops arriving from Melbourne, 1870, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-135871465

Key sources

We hold rare items from the Eureka Stockade. Both the journal entries from the gold miners and the letters from Charles Pasley give an insight into what conditions were like at the time and provide details about the Eureka Stockade that cannot be found anywhere else. Items include:

Pictures

There is also a range of related material from our pictures collection. Through this material we can gain a visual into how things looked at the time and see the diversity of people involved in the Eureka Stockade.

There is also a range of related material from the pictures collection, with a colonial wood engraving of the Eureka encampments to the photographs from the set of ‘Eureka Stockade’ film from 1947.

Search tips

Use keywords to search by title, author or subject in the catalogue or Trove.

You can search by the subject 'Eureka Stockade' to find broad resources, or try these specific search terms:

  • Peter Lalor 1854
  • 1854 Ballarat
  • Charles Pasley
  • Gold miners 1854 Australia

Cummeragunja Walk Off

The Cummeragunja Walk Off was one of the first recorded strikes by First Australians on the Australian mainland, taking place in 1939 (the Torres Strait Maritime Strike occurred three years prior). While the National Library does not have a large amount of material for this protest, what is contained in the collection is quite unique.

Key sources

The Cummeragunja Walk Off was one of the first recorded strikes by First Australians on the Australian mainland, taking place in 1939 (the Torres Strait Maritime Strike occurred three years prior).

While we do not have a large amount of material for this protest, what is contained in the collection is quite unique.

One such item is a book containing newspaper clippings from the time of the strike, called ‘Exodus from Cummeragunja: news clippings 1938 to 1961’. It was researched and compiled by Bill and Lynne Lumley for the Bangerang Cultural Centre in Shepparton and provides an incredible insight into the motivation for the walk off and the events that occurred on Cummeragunja Station beforehand.

In addition to the unique item mentioned above, there is variety of resources available from our collection of books, digitised newspapers and gazettes, pictures, audio and eResources.

Search tips

Use keywords to search by title, author or subject in the catalogue or Trove.

Try these specific search terms:

  • Cummeragunja
  • Cummeragunja walk off 1939
  • Cummeragunja Station
  • Bill Onus

Alternative spellings

There are various spellings of Cummeragunja. We have listed the spelling that yields the most search results, but alternative spellings will achieve different results.

The Pilbara Stockmen’s Strike

In 1946, on May 1st, eight hundred First Australian stockmen and pastoral workers walked off stations across the Pilbara, making it one of the biggest strikes of the era. The Library’s digitised newspapers and gazettes are a rich source of knowledge on this topic, with numerous titles providing insights into opinions of the strike at the time. Titles of particular focus are those from Western Australia including ‘The West Australian’ and ‘The Workers Star’.

The book cover of On Red Earth Walking features two figures walking across a red desert landscape with mountains in the background.

Anne Scrimgeour, On red earth walking:the Pilbara Aboriginal strike, Western Australia 1946 - 1949, 2020, nla.cat-vn8079092

Key sources

A unique item from the Library’s collection is an audio recording of Don McLeod interviewed by Mary Anne Jebb.

Don McLeod was a non-Indigenous man who assisted with the organisation of the strike, working with those of the Pilbara Strike at a time when there were laws and policies in Australia promoting segregation and preventing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous people from coming together. The interview details McLeod’s firsthand experiences as a participant of the strike, as well as information about the policies of the Western Australian Government at the time.

Search tips

The collection also includes a variety of documentary resources, particularly books and eResources. Find them by using keywords to search by title, author or subject in the catalogue or Trove.

Try these search terms:

  • Pilbara Strike 1946
  • Don McLeod
  • Dooley Bin Bin
  • Clancy McKenna
  • Peter ‘Kangkushot’ Coppin

The Gurindji Strike/Wave Hill Walk Off

The 1966 Gurindji Strike is one of the most well-known protests in Australia, with the event gaining national attention. It inspired singer-songwriter Kevin ‘Kev’ Carmody to write the popular Australian anthem, ‘From Little Things, Big Things Grow’.

Vincent Lingiari addresses a crowd at a microphone while Gough Whitlam stands beside him. Several people are visible in the background, observing.

Penny Tweedie & Australian Information Service, Elder Vincent Lingiari of the Gurindji Language group, addressing the media after Prime Minister Gough Whitlam officially returns Aboriginal land at Wattie Creek, Northern Territory, 16 August 1975, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-138156433

Penny Tweedie & Australian Information Service, Elder Vincent Lingiari of the Gurindji Language group, addressing the media after Prime Minister Gough Whitlam officially returns Aboriginal land at Wattie Creek, Northern Territory, 16 August 1975, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-138156433

Key sources

We hold a large variety of different materials that relate to the Gurindji Strike. This material provides excellent details about what occurred leading up to the Gurindji Strike and what took place after the walk off.

Some of the most notable include:

These books might also be useful:

Search tips

The collection also includes a variety of books, digitised magazines and journals, manuscripts, archived websites and eResources. Find them by using keywords to search by title, author or subject in the catalogue or Trove.

Try these search terms:

  • Gurindji Strike
  • Vincent Lingiari
  • Gurindji walk off wave hill station
  • Wave Hill Station

Formation of trade unions

Trade unionism holds an important place in Australian history. We hold a significant amount of print material to draw from.

Key sources

A cartoon of a reporter interviewing an APPM executive standing in front of large piles labelled "Mountain Ash" and "Shop Stewards." The executive says, "Unions? Of course we envisage a role for the unions!"

Geoff Pryor "Unions? Of course we envisage a role for the unions! - "[APPM executive talking to a reporter], 1992, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-156743186

Search tips

The Library’s collection of digitised newspapers and gazettes are another great resource, which provides an insight into the opinions of the time in relation to the union strikes. There is also a wide variety of resources available from our collection of books, pictures, audio and eResources.

Find them by using keywords to search by title, author or subject in the catalogue or Trove.

  • Geoff Pryor trade unionists
  • Unions Australia
  • History of unionism in Australia
  • Trade Union Strikes
  • Trade unionism

Get help with your research

Our specialist staff can help you with your research, to locate resources and to use our microform and scanning equipment, but they cannot undertake extensive or ongoing genealogical, historical or other research on your behalf.

Find out more in our Information and Research Policy.

Ask a Librarian

Where else to look

You can find more resources and information to support your research from other institutions and organisations.

Page published: 26 Sep 2024

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