The Great Shearer’s Strike of 1891 was a pivotal event in Australian labour history, marking a significant struggle between the working class and the pastoralists who employed them. The strike began in late January 1891, when shearers in the central west of Queensland, dissatisfied with declining wages and worsening working conditions, decided to take collective action. The strike quickly spread to other colonies, with over 3,000 shearers participating at its peak. The shearers formed camps, notably in Barcaldine, and organised themselves under the banner of the Australian Shearers’ Union, later known as the Australian Workers’ Union (AWU) (Australian National University, 2024).
The conflict was marked by intense hostility and violence. The pastoralists, backed by the government, employed non-union labour and enlisted the support of the police and military to break the strike. The shearers, in response, organised armed resistance and conducted public demonstrations. The situation escalated into a series of confrontations, with several instances of property damage and clashes with the authorities. The strike’s leaders, including prominent figures like William Hamilton and David Temple, were eventually arrested and charged with conspiracy, leading to their imprisonment (National Museum Australia, 2024).
Despite the strike’s ultimate failure to secure immediate improvements in wages and conditions, it had a profound and lasting impact on the Australian labour movement. The harsh treatment of the shearers and the solidarity they displayed inspired widespread public sympathy and highlighted the need for labour reforms. The strike contributed to the formation of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) in 1891, which sought to represent the interests of workers in parliament. The events of the Great Shearer’s Strike are commemorated in Barcaldine by the Tree of Knowledge, a symbol of the Australian labour movement’s roots and resilience (Barcaldine Regional Council, 2024).
References
Australian National University, 2024. Great Shearer’s Strike of 1891. [online] Available at: https://www.anu.edu.au/about/history/great-shearers-strike-of-1891 [Accessed 8 June 2024].
National Museum Australia, 2024. Shearers’ Strike 1891. [online] Available at: https://www.nma.gov.au/explore/features/shearers-strike-1891 [Accessed 8 June 2024].
Barcaldine Regional Council, 2024. Tree of Knowledge. [online] Available at: https://www.barcaldinerc.qld.gov.au/tree-of-knowledge [Accessed 8 June 2024].