MRC Report: Unions Inc

The corporatisation of the australian union movement

Published: April 2025

Australian unions have undergone a dramatic transformation over the last three decades. The union movement in 2025 has drifted from its roots as advocates for workers who lacked a voice.

The modern-day union movement has become a self-serving, complex commercial network that has monetised the industrial relations system to extract financial and political benefits for itself and its allies, including the Australian Labor Party. This is leagues removed from its humble origins. Union membership has declined from over 50% of the population in 1976 to just 13% in 2024 and as low as 7.9% in the private sector.

Yet while union membership continues its long-term decline, the financial and political influence of unions has never been greater. Rather than adapting to remain relevant to workers, unions have shifted to alternative revenue sources to remain financially sustainable. Australia’s largest unions have accumulated well in excess of $1.8 billion in assets and generate more than $800 million in annual income.

In the nearly 20 years for which records are available, since 2006-07, Australian unions have pocketed a grand total of $528,769,384, from worker entitlement, training and superannuation funds identified in this report.

This report provides recommendations to protect members’ interests over those of union profiteers. The proposed measures aim to enhance transparency, curb conflicts of interest, and restore trust in these increasingly prominent financial institutions.