Melissa Donnelly appointed new leader of Australia's trade union movement
Melissa Donnelly, the CPSU national secretary, has been elected head of the Australian Council of Trade Unions, succeeding Sally McManus.
The Australian Council of Trade Unions elected Melissa Donnelly as its new secretary, filling the vacancy left by Sally McManus’s resignation. Donnelly, currently national secretary of the Community and Public Sector Union, is 44 and will rank among the peak body’s youngest leaders. Her career began in private-practice law before rising through the CPSU, where she oversaw a 23% membership increase and secured flexible work reforms and extended parental leave.
The ACTU’s previous leaders, Michele O’Neil and Sally McManus, had served as the first all-female team in the organization’s 99-year history. Public service minister Katy Gallagher praised Donnelly’s advocacy for public servants and expressed confidence in her ability to champion workers nationwide. Donnelly emphasized her commitment to delivering tangible outcomes for employees and meeting union members across Australia.
Why it matters
A new union leader could shape national labor policies and affect millions of Australian workers.
How the sides frame it
MODERATE AGREEMENTBoth camps report Melissa Donnelly's appointment, but left-leaning coverage emphasizes her career achievements and historic female leadership, while centrist coverage stresses the challenges she will face, notably cost-of-living pressures and the impact of AI on jobs.
LEFT
Highlights Donnelly's professional track record, her role in growing union membership and securing reforms, and the historic all-female leadership of the ACTU.
CENTER
Focuses on the policy priorities she will confront, especially cost-of-living issues and the looming impact of AI on workers' futures.
The left emphasises
- oversaw a 23% membership increase
- secured flexible work reforms and extended parental leave
- first all-female team in the ACTU’s 99-year history
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