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92-680: The Darwin rebellion of 17 December 1918 was the culmination of unrest in the Australian Workers' Union which had existed between 1911 and early 1919. Led by Harold Nelson , over 1,000 demonstrators marched on Government House at Liberty Square in Darwin , Northern Territory , Australia where they burnt an effigy of the Administrator of the Northern Territory , John Gilruth , and demanded his resignation. Their grievances were against

184-604: A conspiracy was reportedly uncovered between the Government and Vestey's regarding the illegal takeover of a large pastoral property. Gilruth was alleged to have distributed significant bribes, and H. E. Carey —who was both Government Secretary and the Chief Clerk at the meatworks—was accused of collusion . It was widely thought that Vestey Brothers, with its experience in similar ventures elsewhere and access to substantial capital, would be able to develop large-scale cattle rearing in

276-469: A formidable body with little minority opposition. Gilruth had correctly envisaged that, for the foreseeable future, large-scale private enterprise in Darwin would be based on the mining, agriculture and cattle industries. The large British conglomerate, Vestey Brothers , proposed setting up a meat processing plant in Darwin and work commenced on this in 1914. An analysis of the negotiations suggested that neither

368-518: A friend's cold store. The invention of the first ammonia-compression plant enabled refrigerated shipments, and their business grew. The first expansion was into China, in the early 20th century, where the company developed a huge egg processing enterprise. Creating their own shipping company, the Blue Star Line , they supplied outlets in the UK, USA, Europe and South Africa for over fifty years. In 1911,

460-558: A stop to the immigration increase. Those Chinese workers already in Darwin had proved themselves reliable, hard-working and good citizens. After the decline of the gold rush , the Chinese population competed for jobs with the White population. Not only did Asians compete successfully against Europeans for jobs that were scarce, but they also diversified into other profitable areas such as vegetable growing, cooking, tailoring and cleaning. Consequently,

552-580: A time of rigid social structure , men of all classes united in the pursuit of a common aim behind Nelson. Ignoring growing discontent, Gilruth distanced himself from the people even further, by moving to take over the hotels. On 29 September 1915, an ordinance passed by the Federal Executive Council in Melbourne nationalised the supply of liquor in the northern part of the Territory. The legislation

644-541: A vacuum filled only by the emergent Australian Workers' Union (AWU) and by World War I. During that time, Gilruth came to matter less and less as the AWU gathered strength under the leadership of Harold Nelson . The Palmerston (Darwin) District Council was established by proclamation in 1874, with representatives elected on a ratepayer franchise. On 4 February 1915 the Minister for External Affairs , Hugh Mahon , decided to abolish

736-404: Is in sourcing, processing and distribution of products made from meat, fish, seafood , dairy products , fruit and vegetables, and convenience foods . It trades in 70 countries, with customers in the retail, food service, wholesale , government and manufacturing sectors. The 3rd Baron Vestey (19 March 1941 – 4 February 2021), great-grandson of co-founder William Vestey (later Lord Vestey),

828-616: Is published in a magazine format in association with Australian Consolidated Press . On 24 October 2017 the unions offices in Sydney and Melbourne were raided by the Australian Federal Police . The raids were on behalf of the Registered Organisations Commission (ROC). Melbourne Trades Hall was opened in 1859 with Trades and Labour Councils and Trades Halls opening in all cities and most regional towns in

920-497: Is said that by 1930 Vesteys had 30,000 employees worldwide and a net value of £300,000. The Vestey family were estimated to be the second wealthiest family in Britain (after the King) in 1940. In 1980, it was discovered that the company had operated a tax avoidance scheme, and Vestey Brothers was the largest privately owned multinational company and the largest retailer of meat in the world in

1012-581: Is the great-great-grandson of co-founder Sir Edmund Vestey, 1st Baronet . As of 2020 , the Vestey family’s farming interests are mainly in Brazil, in both the cattle industry and sugar cane production. A 12,000-hectare (30,000-acre) tree-planting programme is set to supply eucalyptus wood to the iron ore industry in Brazil. The family also has two wine companies in Australia: The Lane Vineyard in

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1104-599: Is willing to leave Darwin by the steamer and remain away until a public commission is granted on his administration. This meeting will guarantee him safe conduct to the steamer.... Gilruth initially refused to address the crowd other than making a statement that he was answerable to the Minister and would not and did not recognise the citizens of Darwin as having any authority over him. The crowd outside became tense and impatient. The crowd demanded that Gilruth appear before them to vindicate himself. Surprisingly, Gilruth complied but he

1196-725: The Adelaide Hills of South Australia , and Delatite Wines in Victoria, Australia . William and his younger brother Edmund (later Sir Edmund) established the Vestey empire in 1897 from a family butchery business in Liverpool . They were pioneers of refrigeration , opening a cold store in London in 1895 and developing stores across the UK, and then throughout Russia, the Baltic nations , and Western Europe. The company supplied large quantities of food to

1288-545: The Australian Industrial Relations Commission , the AWU and its members were among that system's principal beneficiaries. The AWU remains a strong advocate of arbitration in the union movement. The AWU was not affiliated with the Australian Council of Trade Unions for many years, preferring to maintain its independent relationship with the arbitration system. With the shift in employment from

1380-618: The Australian Labor Party following the defeat of the 1890s strikes, the AWU became a powerful influence in the party, particularly in Queensland and Western Australia , and to a lesser extent in the other states. Labor state governments were heavily influenced by AWU leaders such as Edward Grayndler , Tom Dougherty and NSW AWU Secretary Charlie Oliver . Labor was in government in Queensland from 1915 to 1929 and from 1932 to 1957, and

1472-823: The International Metalworkers' Federation , the International Union of Foodworkers and the International Transport Workers Federation . The current AWU National President is Marina Williams, and the National Secretary is Paul Farrow. The AWU has broad coverage over, amongst others, the following industries: The AWU grew from a number of earlier unions, notably the Australasian Shearers' Union , founded by William Spence , Alexander Poynton (OBE, an inaugural member of

1564-795: The Queensland Workers Union merged in 1891 to form the Amalgamated Workers Union of Queensland . In 1904 the AWUQ amalgamated with the AWU, to form a union with a combined membership of 34,000. The AWU later absorbed a number of other unions in the pastoral, mining and timber industries notably the Amalgamated Workers Association of Queensland in 1913, and the Federated Mining Employees Association of Australia in 1917. Since these industries were

1656-763: The Tasmanian Supreme Court was appointed to chair a Royal Commission on Northern Territory Administration. The outcome of the Royal Commission was the Northern Territory Representation Act 1922 (Cwlth) which provided for one Northern Territory member of the House of Representatives ; the member had no voting rights, could not be chosen to be the Speaker or Chairman of Committees, and was not counted for quorum or majority determination purposes in

1748-627: The pastoral and mining industries in the late 1880s and it currently has approximately 80,000 members. According to the moderately conservative publication, the Australian Financial Review, the AWU is one of the most powerful unions in the Labor Right faction of the Australian Labor Party . The AWU is a national union made up of state branches. Each AWU member belongs to one of six geographic branches. Every four years AWU members elect branch and national officials: National President,

1840-473: The 1980s. In the course of their expansion, Vestey bought a number of other companies, acquiring Oxo and London's Oxo Tower through the purchase of the Liebig Extract of Meat Company . In the middle of the 20th century, Vestey companies dominated the UK wholesale and retail meat trade, selling refrigerated and canned meats, as well as leather and other by-products. Having saved cash reserves for

1932-740: The 4.5 million European Australians living on the continent, only 1,729 lived in the Northern Territory, along with about 1,300 Chinese and an unknown number of indigenous Australians . Following the transfer, the Northern Territory was run by an administrator appointed by the Commonwealth executive, a public servant answerable to the Commonwealth. In the years following Commonwealth Administration, Territorians became increasingly unhappy with unrepresentative government from southern Australia. The Northern Territory's few economic pursuits— pearling , pastoralism , and mining —were all run down. Expected Commonwealth-led development dissipated as Federal funding

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2024-481: The AWU conducted a secret ballot amongst its members, which overwhelmingly supported a general strike commencing 28 April. Although the Darwin strike was in itself insignificant, the threat of widespread national disruption if Chinese labour were used to keep the northern port operational, was significant. After weeks of strike action, the union reserves were empty of strike funds, the parent AWU in Townsville hostile to

2116-756: The AWU into conflict with some other unions, particularly the National Union of Workers and the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union . For many years the AWU published two newspapers, The Australian Worker in New South Wales and The Worker (founded in 1890) in Brisbane. Under the editorship of Henry Boote from 1916 to 1943 they were among the most influential union newspapers in Australia. The two papers were merged in 1974 and today The Australian Worker

2208-679: The AWU of its greatest area of influence, although it remained influential in the long-serving (1941–65 and 1976–88) New South Wales Labor governments. In 1993 the AWU amalgamated with the Federation of Industrial Manufacturing and Engineering Employees (itself an amalgamation of the Federated Ironworkers' Association of Australia and the Australasian Society of Engineers ) to form the AWU-FIMEE Amalgamated Union. In 1995

2300-527: The AWU rapidly grew reaching approximately 700 by 1915. Most members were employed in key infrastructure areas including occupations at the wharf, on the railway line, truck owners, and in the construction of the Vesteys Meatworks at Bullocky Point. Their catchcry quickly became ' no taxation without representation '. Nelson's tactics were simple, he wanted to secure a strong membership base before using industrial muscle. The Chinese were not allowed to join

2392-537: The AWU was able to exert considerable political influence through long-serving premiers such as William Forgan Smith and Ned Hanlon . The federation of the Australian colonies in 1901 led to the establishment of the Australian Arbitration system . The AWU strongly supported arbitration as a mechanism of resolving industrial disputes without resorting to strike action. The Pastoral Industry Award, negotiated by

2484-570: The AWU, was the first federal award granted by the Commonwealth Court of Conciliation and Arbitration . The AWU maintained its registration under state industrial systems and continues to participate in many state awards. During the years since federation that the Australian industrial relations system has been dominated by the Court and its successors, the Conciliation and Arbitration Commission and

2576-868: The Australian House of Representatives), brother Charles Poynton, and David Temple in Creswick , Victoria in 1886. This union joined with shearers' unions in Bourke and Wagga in New South Wales to form the Amalgamated Shearers Union of Australasia in 1887. In 1894 this union amalgamated with the General Labourers Union , which had formed in 1891, to form the Australian Workers' Union. The Queensland Shearers Union , formed in 1887, and

2668-537: The Australian labour movement. For many years Communists were banned from AWU membership. In the 1930s the Communist Party launched a rival Pastoral Workers Industrial Union, but this failed to break the AWU's grip on its membership. The Northern Territory branch of the AWU was a central faction in the most recent worker's rebellion in Australia, the Darwin Rebellion in 1912–1918. When the trade unions formed

2760-519: The Darwin Australian Workers' Union (AWU) came into existence in 1912. Gilruth was given a free hand to deal with the situation in Darwin and arrived in the midst of a long pay dispute involving wharf lumpers and shipping agents. AWU representatives met with Gilruth several times in 1912 and 1913, but little was resolved. When the government lowered the wages of survey field hands in April 1913,

2852-706: The East Kimberley region of Western Australia from investor Sam Copley . In 1914, they established the North Australia Meat Company in Darwin, Northern Territory in Australia, but it failed after three years. In the same year, it bought the 3,000 km (1,200 sq mi) Wave Hill Station in the Northern Territory of Australia. In 1915, the brothers, after being refused a request for income tax exemption made to David Lloyd George , moved to Buenos Aires to avoid paying income tax in

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2944-643: The House. Gilruth never returned to the Northern Territory. In the 1920s, he advanced his career with the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research in Melbourne. In 1933, he was elected to the presidency and in 1936 to honorary membership of the Australian Veterinary Association . Gilruth retired in 1935 and on 4 March 1937, he died of a respiratory infection at his home at South Yarra , Melbourne, and

3036-571: The Minister's announcement further alienated Gilruth from the townspeople. The Prime Minister was not as concerned as his colleagues were about the troubles in Darwin. He dismissed the matter, saying that it was "a healthy sign, showing that people are alive to their own interests". In the weeks that followed the announcement of the demise of the Palmerston District Council, support for the AWU organiser, Harold Nelson , rapidly grew. Although in

3128-672: The Natal Act of 1897 was introduced, restricting "undesirable persons" rather than any specific race. The British government in London was not pleased with legislation that discriminated against certain subjects of its Empire, but decided not to disallow the laws that were passed. Colonial Secretary Joseph Chamberlain explained in 1897: We quite sympathise with the determination...of these colonies...that there should not be an influx of people alien in civilisation, alien in religion, alien in customs, whose influx, moreover, would seriously interfere with

3220-730: The National Secretary, and the National Assistant Secretary. They also elect the National Executive and the Branch Executives which act as the Board of Directors for the union. The AWU's rules are registered with Fair Work Australia and its internal elections are conducted by the Australian Electoral Commission . The AWU is affiliated with the Australian Labor Party , Australian Council of Trade Unions ,

3312-485: The Northern Territory . Gilruth's appointment sparked his enthusiasm for economic development of the Northern Territory by means of "mining, crop-growing and pastoralism". In 1913 Gilruth gave Carl Strehlow his support after undertaking a trip to Hermannsburg to investigate negative reports given by Walter Baldwin Spencer of Strehlow's Lutheran mission there. Spencer was critical of Strehlow's work, and wanted to convert

3404-419: The Northern Territory was by far the most promising development in the history of the region. However, due to the labour shortage, workers were able to obtain higher wages through regular strikes . As a consequence, Vestey's could not make the meatworks profitable. Its temporary closure in 1917 significantly affected the already struggling Territory economy by putting hundreds of workers out of work. Additionally,

3496-511: The Northern Territory". Although the strike was called off in the first week of June, it shaped future industrial relations in the Northern Territory, as the "White Australia" policy and anti-Chinese feeling fuelled support for the Unions. Harold Nelson moved to Darwin from Pine Creek in 1913 with his wife and five children. He quickly became the driving force and organiser for the Australian Workers' Union (AWU). Under his leadership, membership to

3588-630: The South Australian Government was indifferent to them, and since they were not unionized, their comrades in southern Australia ignored them." On 9 January 1911, the Fisher Labor Government issued a Ministerial instruction to implement the White Australia policy . With the threat of Chinese competition reduced, European workers were able to bargain for higher rates of pay. Needing an organisation to represent workers' interests,

3680-404: The Territory without significant government intervention. Cattle was the one commodity that Northern Australia produced in large numbers. It was thought that Gilruth and the Federal government fully supported Vestey's plans. From the time of the meatworks establishment in 1914 until its permanent closure six years later in 1920, Vestey's had lost a great deal of money. The Darwin venture existed in

3772-433: The Territory, including the manager of the State Liquor Department , because of Gilruth's policies. However, the mistake that helped finish Gilruth's career in the Territory, was trivial. As Darwinites prepared to celebrate the end of the war , the women employed in the state hotels asked for a few hours off on Saturday, 14 November to join in the celebrations. The hotel boarders agreed to dine elsewhere and everybody presumed

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3864-412: The UK. The family later administered the business through a Paris trust that enabled it to legally avoid an estimated total of £88m in UK tax until the loophole was closed in 1991. In 1924, Vesteys bought the Liebig Extract of Meat Company in Uruguay, created Frigorífico Anglo del Uruguay out of it, which marketed Fray Bentos meat extract spread . also known as the "Anglo Meatpacking Company". It

3956-429: The Vestey brothers expanded into meat production , processing and distribution, with pastoral properties as well as meatworks in Venezuela, Australia and Brazil, and meatworks in New Zealand and Argentina. In the UK, they bought market stalls on the Smithfield Market in London, and butcher shops throughout the UK, the Dewhurst the Butchers chain. In 1912 they purchased for £250,000 the Ord River cattle station in

4048-505: The Wave Hill walk-off) at Wave Hill. This was a landmark event in the land rights movement in Australia and lasted for eight years. With much public support, the Whitlam government entered negotiations with Vestey and a small grant of land at Daguragu/Wattie Creek was handed back to the Gurindji people , as an initial step towards the final land handback. The first two ships for the Blue Star Line ( Pakeha renamed Broderick , and Rangatira renamed Brodmore ) were bought in 1909, and

4140-406: The appointment by Gilruth of a 'supervisor of hotels', at a high salary. As a result of the takeover, the price of beer and whisky rapidly increased. It was reported that the price of beer jumped by 30 percent. Gilruth had also ordered the closure of the public bar in the popular Victoria Hotel and consequently, the hotel was losing profits. In 1918, several station owners and businessmen abandoned

4232-523: The company registered on 28 July 1911 in London and Liverpool with a capital of £100,000. In 1946 the Vesteys also became founders of Repremar Shipping, a Uruguay-based ship agency which was then taken over a few decades later by the Pena family, who to this day remain in control of the Repremar Group of Companies. The line owned a number of refrigerated ships ( Reefers ), and business later expanded to countries as far apart as Egypt and China, carrying passengers in addition to various foodstuffs. Blue Star

4324-417: The council, thus depriving Territorians of their slight vestige of democratic government. He gave as his reasons that "the District Council had blocked the government at every move". The new council would be replaced by two representatives of the government and two elected by the ratepayers, with Carey as Chairman . In effect, this gave Gilruth increased powers. The abolition of the Palmerston District Council

4416-400: The elements and pollution. The business also owned the Downsway supermarket group, which was based in East Anglia and had 80 stores at the time of its sale to rival Fine Fare in 1978. By the middle of the twentieth century, the Vestey Group had acquired a large amount of grazing land in Australia, and used many Aboriginal Australians as cheap labour. They were paid less than a quarter of

4508-453: The following forty years. During the 1880s Trade unions developed among shearers , miners , and stevedores (wharf workers), but soon spread to cover almost all blue-collar jobs. Shortages of labour led to high wages for a prosperous skilled working class, whose unions demanded and got an eight-hour day and other benefits unheard of in Europe. Australia gained a reputation as "the working man's paradise." Some employers tried to undercut

4600-453: The government nor Vestey Brothers were fully confident of the success of the venture they were about to undertake. It also showed that Gilruth, as the middleman, was thoroughly influential in its outcome. It was largely through his efforts that Vestey Brothers finally consented to building a meatworks in Darwin. Vestey's meatworks began operation in 1917 on Bullocky Point (current site of the Darwin High School ) in Darwin. Vestey's entry into

4692-491: The growing UK population during the Industrial Revolution . William Vestey earlier worked in stockyards in Chicago in the late 19th century, and realised that the meat waste could be used in products which were then in short supply in Britain. He and Edmund started a canning business, before foreseeing that the meat could be worth even more if the vast supplies of beef in the Americas could be transported and delivered fresh rather than canned, so they first experimented with

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4784-441: The legitimate rights of the existing labouring population. The Barton government which came to power following the first elections to the Commonwealth parliament in 1901 was formed by the Protectionist Party with the support of the Australian Labor Party . The support of the Labor Party was contingent upon restricting non-white immigration, reflecting the attitudes of the Australian Workers Union and other labour organisations at

4876-399: The matter was closed. However, Gilruth subsequently refused to concede leave for the women, who took the time off anyway. When they returned to work the next day, they found themselves locked out by order of the administrator. It was also reported that Gilruth refused permission for a ship to unload 700 cases of beer for the town's Christmas supplies. On Saturday afternoon, 7 December, there

4968-404: The meatworks project progressed. Nelson met with Gilruth in the second week of November 1914. Although there is no record of the first confrontation between the men, subsequent records indicate the meeting concluded in a significant victory for the AWU. At that time, carpenters united to join the AWU (and not their parent Carpenters and Joiners union). By late 1916, the AWU in Darwin had grown into

5060-426: The meatworks. Over 1,000 men walked to Government House demanding " no taxation without representation ", behind a car carrying an effigy of Gilruth tied to a stake. A deputation presented a motion to Gilruth that stated in part: We, the citizens of Darwin here assembled ask that the Administrator address us regarding his administration of the Territory of the last five years. Failing to comply, that he be asked if he

5152-414: The minimum wage of non-Indigenous workers and sometimes only received salt beef , bread, tobacco , flour, sugar and tea instead of a salary. Samuel Vestey, 3rd Baron Vestey , through the company, owned the Wave Hill Station in Australia at the time. In 1966, this unfair treatment, coupled with earlier dispossession of their land by the colonial government, sparked the Gurindji strike (also known as

5244-429: The mission into a home for " half-castes " (that is, an Aboriginal reserve ). From the beginning, Gilruth's plans for economic development did not progress as planned. He did his best to promote mining and agriculture, including the development of a meatworks in Darwin by the English firm, Vesteys . However, these attempts proved disappointing, and by 1913, the Gilruth administration was already becoming unpopular. With

5336-416: The national press until the following Thursday afternoon. The news was received with great interest. The national press reacted by blaming a Soviet establishment in Darwin, total anarchy , an uncaring federal government and Gilruth himself. The rebellion was described as the nearest thing to a revolution since the Eureka Stockade at Ballarat in 1854. In November 1919, the Hon. Norman Kirkwood Ewing of

5428-411: The outbreak of World War I in August 1914, the Commonwealth Government lost interest in development of the Northern Territory as federal funds were diverted towards the war. As a consequence, the weight of public frustration fell upon Gilruth, whose own character and actions helped to bring about that result. He was described as "headstrong and domineering". and his blunt, dynamic style of leadership

5520-479: The pastoral industries to the urban manufacturing and service sectors, the AWU's political influence and power declined as the pastoral areas became less significant in terms of employee numbers. This shift led to many rural electorate areas that were influenced by the AWU and workers falling to the conservative side of politics and in particular the National Party . The split in the Queensland ALP in 1957, which resulted in Labor being in opposition for 32 years, deprived

5612-407: The powers he needed to rule effectively nor evolved consistent policies for the region", a confrontation between his administration and the townspeople was inevitable. The construction of the railway line from Port Darwin to Pine Creek in the late 1880s required the immigration of Chinese labour. In December 1888, the South Australian Chinese Immigration Act came into effect, effectively putting

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5704-472: The price of beer (at the expense of the Australian taxpayer) the mob would have departed peacefully. However, though this would have been 'diplomatic,' to purchase peace at this price would have been condemned by the Minister and the Treasury". The government was alarmed, and within a week of the incident the lightly armed gunboat HMAS Una arrived to protect the administrator. She anchored beneath Government House Cliff on Christmas Eve. Another public meeting

5796-484: The principal sources of Australia's wealth in the 19th century, the AWU soon became Australia's largest and most powerful union. The defeat of the great 1891 shearers' strike and the 1890 Maritime strike led the AWU to reject direct action, and it has been a force for moderation in the Australian union movement ever since. It was a firm opponent of the Industrial Workers of the World , the Communist Party of Australia , NSW Premier Jack Lang and other radical forces in

5888-405: The purpose, they entered into a price war with the US-owned importers to largely drive them from the UK market. Vestey developed the country-wide Dewhurst the Butchers chain, which was eventually sold in 1995 in the face of increasing competition from the supermarket chains. Dewhurst was among the first retailers to introduce glass windows in its butcher's shops – previously meat had been exposed to

5980-525: The recruitment of people through trickery and kidnappings to work on plantations, particularly the sugar cane plantations of Queensland (Australia) and Fiji . In the 1870s and 1880s, the growing trade union movement began a series of protests against foreign labour. Their arguments were that Asians and Chinese took jobs away from white men, worked for "substandard" wages, lowered working conditions and refused unionisation. Objections to these arguments came largely from wealthy land owners in rural areas. It

6072-421: The residence. On 20 February 1919, Gilruth left Darwin by his own accord and boarded HMAS Encounter , a cruiser with eleven 6-inch guns and nine 12-pounder guns, still the administrator, but now prepared to function from Melbourne . His departure effectively ended what was to become commonly known as the "Darwin Rebellion". Wartime censorship prevented news of the storming of Government House in Darwin reaching

6164-417: The retail trade was almost entirely in Chinese hands and their success was resented by Europeans. Given the option, most employers preferred to employ Chinese workers, not necessarily because they were cheaper to employ, but because they were more reliable. The problem faced by unskilled European labourers in the Northern Territory was that no-one cared about their situation. "Local employers did not want them,

6256-459: The same rights as their Anglo and Southern compatriots. Agreements were made to further increase these restrictions in 1895 following an Inter-colonial Premier's Conference where all colonies agreed to extend entry restrictions to all non-white races . However, in attempting to enact this legislation, the Governors of New South Wales, South Australia and Tasmania reserved the bills, due to a treaty with Japan , and they did not become law. Instead,

6348-423: The second half of the 20th century. The growth of the sugar industry in Queensland in the 1870s led to searching for labourers prepared to work in a tropical environment. During this time, thousands of " Kanakas " (Pacific Islanders) were brought into Australia as indentured workers . This and related practices of bringing in non-white labour to be cheaply employed was commonly termed " blackbirding " and refers to

6440-880: The second wealthiest family in Britain (after the King ) in 1940. Vestey Brothers was the largest privately owned multinational company and the largest retailer of meat in the world in the 1980s. In 1980, it was discovered that the company had operated a tax avoidance scheme, Union International , formerly the core of the Vestey family business as the Union Cold Storage Company , entered receivership in 1995. The company has been restructured several times. As of August 2020 Vestey Holdings owns Vestey Foods , Albion Fine Foods & FineFrance UK , Cottage Delight , Donald Russell ( butchers ) and Western Pension Solutions . Vestey Foods (incorporated 16 November 1994) owns Vestey Foods UK, Vestey Foods Benelux, Vestey Foods France, Vestey Foods International, Vestey Foods Baltics, and Vestey Foods Middle East. The company's main business

6532-472: The time, upon whose support the Labor Party was founded. Vestey Group Vestey Holdings , formerly Vestey Group and previously also known as Vestey Brothers , is a privately owned UK group of companies comprising an international business focused mainly on food products and services. The company has owned vast holdings overseas, mainly in South America and Australia, and continues to own some. The Vestey family were estimated to be

6624-424: The transfer of the Northern Territory to the Commonwealth government deprived Territorians of all political representation and voting rights. The Commonwealth Constitution did not allow for Federal electorates to cross state borders. This enabled national governments to avoid a hypothetical impasse where a thousand Territory voters might some day hold the balance of power in an evenly divided Commonwealth Parliament. Of

6716-506: The two main Northern Territory employers, Vestey’s Meatworks and the Commonwealth of Australia , and concerned political representation , unemployment , taxation and ongoing industrial disputes following the implementation of the White Australia policy . Gilruth and his family left Darwin soon afterwards under the protection of HMAS  Encounter , while the Vestey company permanently closed its Darwin operations in 1920. The event

6808-416: The union reverted to using the name Australian Workers' Union. In recent years the AWU has sought to modernise and to broaden its membership beyond its declining traditional base. Today it represents workers in the metals, aviation, oil and gas, mining, construction, food processing and retail industries, as well as its traditional base in the pastoral and mining areas. Its expansion into new areas has brought

6900-509: The unions and by late 1914, mainly through Nelson's swift and ruthless actions, Chinese workers had been excluded from all labouring work, except that of a domestic nature. Many Chinese had been employed at the wharf and as a result the AWU demanded and got higher wages for white workers. In 1914 and early 1915, through a campaign of boycotts and strikes, Nelson forced Vestey Brothers to raise wages for their construction workers and meatworks employees in Darwin. Further industrial affairs continued as

6992-493: The unions by importing Chinese labour. This produced a reaction which led to all the colonies restricting Chinese and other Asian immigration. This was the foundation of the White Australia Policy . The "Australian compact", based around centralised industrial arbitration, a degree of government assistance particularly for primary industries, and White Australia, was to continue for many years before gradually dissolving in

7084-494: The whole event, the Federal government indifferent and a number of strikers back at work, it was evident that strike action was lost. In late May, AWU representatives met with Gilruth to negotiate their terms of surrender; the unionists were prepared to return to work as long as the strikers were re-instated to their former positions. Not content with his devastating victory, Gilruth refused, "wanting to eliminate all traces of unionism in

7176-617: Was Chairman of the Vestey Group from 1995 until his death in 2021. George Vestey has been CEO of Vestey Holdings since 2010, and his brother Robin Non-Executive Chairman since 2013 (after becoming a main board director after their father Edmund ’s retirement in 2004). The family was still immensely wealthy in 2015; 160th on the Sunday Times Rich List 2015, with an estimated fortune of £700 million. Actor Tom Hiddleston

7268-632: Was a meeting at Darwin Oval, attended by several hundred people, about ever-increasing alcohol prices and the re-opening of the Victoria Hotel public bar. On 16 December, Nelson met with the Police Inspector and asked for permission to stage a peaceful protest march from Parap to Government House. The Police Inspector gave permission on the condition there would be no violence. On the afternoon of 17 December 1918, stop-work meetings were held in Darwin and at

7360-441: Was a political error, but at first neither the Minister nor Gilruth saw it. The council's importance, however, lay in the fact that it was "the only symbol of representative government and democracy in the Northern Territory", and was made up of a small but influential middle class of Darwin, such as shipping agents, mine owners, landlords and ranking public servants. These were the people whose support Gilruth needed, but instead

7452-404: Was argued that without Asiatics to work in the tropical areas of the Northern Territory and Queensland, the area would have to be abandoned. Despite these objections to restricting immigration, between 1875 and 1888 all Australian colonies enacted legislation which excluded all further Chinese immigration. Asian immigrants already residing in the Australian colonies were not expelled and retained

7544-603: Was broken up, and separate companies created to run farming, cold storage, and food import and distribution businesses. In Venezuela in 2005, state troops occupied a cattle ranch owned by the Vestey Group, under a 2001 land use reform programme instituted by the Hugo Chávez government. In March 2006, the Group reached an agreement with the Venezuelan government, ceding two ranches to the state while retaining ownership of eight. There

7636-594: Was cremated. Briefly imprisoned at Fannie Bay Gaol for his "no taxation without representation" campaign, Harold Nelson won the first Territory seat in the House of Representatives in 1922 and held the seat until 1934. Nelson spent his time in parliament campaigning for greater expenditure and self-government for the Northern Territory, with little success. Following his defeat at the 1934 election , Nelson moved to Alice Springs to work as an agent. He died from unexpected cardiac failure in Alice Springs in 1947. He

7728-408: Was defiant, inviting the crowd to gaze upon him and stating if recalled by the Minister he would leave, but under no other circumstances would he leave his post. As the crowd swelled, part of the picket fence around Government House collapsed and union leader Harold Nelson reportedly called out "over the fence boys". The crowd advanced across the garden into Government House. For a few moments, Gilruth

7820-576: Was described as the nearest thing to a revolution in Australia since the Eureka Stockade rebellion at Ballarat in 1854. From 1863 until 1911, Northern Territory residents were entitled to vote in both South Australian and from 1901, Commonwealth elections. This status had also enabled Territorians to qualify as South Australian voters in elections for both Houses of the Commonwealth Parliament after Federation in 1901. On 1 January 1911,

7912-459: Was diverted towards Australia's participation in World War I . Consequently, conflict between labour unions and the Northern Territory administration began to grow. Dr John A. Gilruth arrived in Darwin in April 1912, after prime minister Andrew Fisher invited him to join a scientific mission to investigate the potential of the Northern Territory. He was later given the position of Administrator of

8004-452: Was finally sold to P&O Nedlloyd for £60 million in 1998, although most of the refrigerated ships were retained by Vestey's Albion Reefers subsidiary, which later merged with Hamburg Süd to form Star Reefers, finally sold off in July 2001. The company had to be rebuilt twice, in the years following the world wars, before being sold in 1998. By 2000, the vertically integrated model

8096-513: Was held in January 1919, and a telegram sent from the meeting to the acting prime minister which read: We, the citizens of the Northern Territory, beseechingly implore you to recall the Administrator, Dr. Gilruth, in the interests of life and property, as his autocratic administration is fast reaching a grave crisis. In the weeks that followed, Gilruth and his family were virtual prisoners within

8188-433: Was ostensibly aimed at Chinese ' sly-groggers ' often accused of selling low quality liquor, but in effect was designed to curb consumption of alcohol in northern Australia and provide some revenue to the Federal budget. Known as the 'government-takeover', penalties were steep and costs of administration and auditing the hotels rose rapidly. There were also some adverse side-effects with the closure of several popular hotels and

8280-487: Was roughly handled and abused as he attempted to flee into the residence. Windows were broken and the wire netting removed from the tennis court. Eventually, the crowd dispersed, but not before they carried Gilruth's effigy to the front gate of Government House, soaked it in kerosene and set it alight. In a subsequent letter to the Prime Minister , Gilruth stated that "he was perfectly aware that had he promised to reduce

8372-541: Was seen as being arrogant, insensitive, and "not fitted to rule a democratic people". He went to Darwin predisposed "to treat the Chinese with reserve, the Aboriginals with heavy-handed paternalism and the white trade unionists with suspicion". Gilruth constantly clashed with trade unionists, employers, workers, and even his own officers. With Gilruth hindered by the Commonwealth Government, "which neither gave him

8464-400: Was survived by his wife and five children. One of these children, Jock Nelson , also served as member for the Northern Territory and in 1973 became the first Territory-raised administrator of the Northern Territory. Australian Workers%27 Union The Australian Workers' Union ( AWU ) is one of Australia's largest and oldest trade unions . It traces its origins to unions founded in

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