The Musicians' Union of Australia (MUA), formerly Professional Musicians' Union of Australia, is a trade union covering a range of occupations in the music industry in Australia. it was founded in March 1911. In some records over its early years it was also referred to as the Musicians' Union of Australasia.
Several bodies were precursors to the Musicians' Union of Australia: [1]
The body was registered as a trade union on 13 March 1911. The word "Professional" was dropped from the name at some point before 1912, although both Musicians' Union of Australasia and its final form, Musicians' Union of Australia, exist in records until around 1916. In August 1961 the union was renamed the Professional Musicians' Union of Australia, reverting to its original name in 1975. [1]
The organisation was made up of state districts, some of which were further divided into smaller branches. Western Australia only formally joined the union in March 1962, although it did send representatives to some of the meetings in the early years. [1]
The Musicians' Union of Australia (MUA) represents musicians, music librarians, copyists, composers, vocalists and musical arrangers. [1] It states that it does not represent "the interests of managers, agents, venues, publishers and record companies", but solely those of musicians. [2] It provides advice on matters such as copyright, minimum award rates, and contracts. [3]
The MMUA was affiliated with the ACTU, the Victorian Labor Party, NSW Labor Party and Western Australian Labor Party and the International Federation of Musicians (FIM), [1] although as of 2021 [update] these are not mentioned on its website, [2] and the FIM website lists the MEAA as member organisation for Australia.
There are branches in Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, Hobart, Launceston and Brisbane. [2]
The governing authority of the organisation is its Federal Council, comprising the federal office-bearers and the members of all Branch Committees. It is also governed by a Federal Executive. The federal office-bearers and members of the branch committees are elected every three years, with elections across the organisation conducted by the Australian Electoral Commission. [4]
The Australian Labor Party (ALP), also simply known as Labor, is the major centre-left political party in Australia and one of two major parties in Australian politics, along with the centre-right Liberal Party of Australia. The party has been in government since being elected at the 2022 federal election, and with political branches in each state and territory, they currently form government in New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria, Western Australia, the Australian Capital Territory, and the Northern Territory. As of 2023, Tasmania is the only state or territory where Labor forms the opposition. It is the oldest continuous political party in Australian history, being established on 8 May 1901 at Parliament House, Melbourne, the meeting place of the first federal Parliament.
The American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada (AFM/AFofM) is a 501(c)(5) labor union representing professional instrumental musicians in the United States and Canada. The AFM, which has its headquarters in New York City, is led by president Tino Gagliardi. Founded in Cincinnati in 1896 as the successor to the National League of Musicians, the AFM is the largest organization in the world to represent professional musicians. It negotiates fair agreements, protects ownership of recorded music, secures benefits such as healthcare and pension, and lobbies legislators. In the U.S., it is known as the American Federation of Musicians (AFM), and in Canada, it is known as the Canadian Federation of Musicians/Fédération Canadienne des Musiciens (CFM/FCM).
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The Labor Left, also known as the Progressive Left or Socialist Left, is a political faction of the Australian Labor Party (ALP). It competes with the more economically liberal Labor Right faction.
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