Tom Barton outlines the ongoing influence of the AWU in Queensland, its fraught relationship with the QCU, and the development of government superannuation.
Tom Barton recalls his work in the union movement during the Bjelke-Petersen era, including the SEQEB dispute in 1985 and the negotiation of state superannuation funds.
Tom Barton summarises his early history and career beginning in 1964 with an apprenticeship in the sugar and alumina industries, becoming an office holder in the Metal Workers Union in 1975, and role on the Trades and Labor Council of Queensland. He recalls entering state parliament in 1992 as the Member for Waterford, becoming the Minister for Environment and Heritage in 1995, the Minister for Police and Corrective Services in 1998, the Minister for State Development in 2001, and the Minister for Employment, Training and Industrial Relations in 2004, before retiring in 2006.
