Records of Business and Labour

Since 1953 the ANU Archives of Business and Labour, now known as the Noel Butlin Archives Centre, has focused on collecting records of companies and organisations that represent Australian industry at a national and regional level. The Centre preserves records of trade unions, companies, and employer, industry and professional bodies. It also holds personal papers of individuals whose activities relate to Australian industry, the labour movement and public life. The collecting process is governed by the Centre's Collecting Policy and Mission Statement.

Highlights of our business collections include such prominent companies as the Australian Agricultural Company, Dalgety Ltd, Burns Philp & Co Ltd, CSR Limited, Tooth & Co Ltd, and Elder Smith & Co Ltd. Their records occupy hundreds of shelf metres and cover the period from the 1820s to the 1990s.

Industrial and labour concerns are covered by the collections of records of some federally registered trade unions, professional associations, and industry bodies. Organisations whose records we hold include the Australian Council of Trade Unions, the Maritime Union of Australia, the Australian Workers Union, CFMEU, AMWU, National Farmers Federation, Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and many others.

Personal papers come from prominent trade unionists, political activists, businessmen, and economic and labour historians.

For information on individual collections, please consult our List of Holdings.

In addition to archival material, a large quantity of published material is available as a research resource. This includes many publications, especially of an ephemeral kind, relating to Australian politics, Australian newspapers, journals, staff magazines, annual reports, and posters received on a regular basis from organisations who deposit records.

Descriptive lists identify all records held in each collection. Maps, photographs, posters, publications, and information on pastoral stations can also be located through finding aids available in the Centre. Copies of the descriptive lists may be obtained on application. Researchers are asked to be selective in their requests for descriptive lists and to assist the Centre's staff by explaining their research topic and the date range. This allows us to include deposits of which the enquirer may be unaware, and avoids the unnecessary distribution of large lists. Further information may be gained from our Finding Aids Fact Sheet.

For advice on how to do research at the Noel Butlin Archives Centre please see our Services for Researchers section.