Peter Anderson V's Tony Maher

Recent Speaker

ACCI Chief Executive V's National President CFMEU

October 12, 2011

11.30am - 1.30pm

" The Economic Reform Debate: A business and union perspective"

Peter Anderson, ACCI Cheif Executive Peter Anderson, Chief Executive Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry

As Chief Executive of Australia’s peak business organisation Peter Anderson speaks at a national level on behalf of all State and Territory chambers of commerce, twenty-eight national industry associations and more than 350,000 small, medium and large businesses across all business sectors.

Peter’s appointment in January 2008 built on his more than twenty-five years at the forefront of policy and advocacy in both private and public sectors. His expertise was honed in senior roles, including, as Executive Director of the Retail Traders’ Association of South Australia; Partner of leading South Australian law firm Fisher Jeffries; Chief of Staff to former South Australian Premier Dean Brown and as Senior Adviser to the Commonwealth Government on workplace relations, employment, small business, trade practices and workplace health and safety policy between 1997-2001.

Peter’s expertise includes the areas of public policy, employment, workplace relations, small business, and federalism in addition to constitutional, administrative and international law.  He was also recently appointed a member of the Government’s Business Roundtable on Climate Change.

Peter is the Australian business representative regionally and globally at international economic forums such as the Organisation for Economic Development and Cooperation (OECD), the International Chamber of Commerce, the International Organisation of Employers. He is an elected representative of Asian employers on the Governing Body of the International Labour Organisation. He is also a director of the Australian Made, Australian Grown Campaign.

Tony MaherTony Maher National President - Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union

Tony Maher is currently the National President of the CFMEU Mining and Energy Division. He has been an official of the Union for over 20 years

Tony Maher has been General President of the Mining and Energy Division since August 1998. Prior to that he held various positions in one of the CFMEU’s predecessor unions the Federated Engine Drivers and Firemen’s Association (FEDFA). He has been an organiser and industrial officer and has many years experience running industrial cases in industrial tribunals on behalf of members.

As General President he has had carriage of many major disputes waged against mineworkers under the now discredited ‘Workchoices’  legislation of the Howard Government between 1998 and 2007. These disputes included Hunter Valley No.1, Mt Thorley, Gordonstone and Blair Athol. As a direct result of that experience he led the unions determined political campaign to oust the Howard Government in 2007.

In 2004, Tony was elected to the position of CFMEU National President which means he chairs the National Executive and National Executive Committee of the whole CFMEU. These are the bodies that deal with issues of common concern across Construction, Forestry and Mining/Energy industries and deal with the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) and the Commonwealth Government.

Since 2006 Tony has led the unions work on Climate Change. In 2008 he was appointed chair of the ACTU Climate Group. He has been appointed to the Commonwealth Governments Carbon Capture and Storage Taskforce and the Prime Ministers Energy Efficiency Advisory Group. In 2010 he was appointed to represent unions on the Federal Government Roundtable on Climate Change.

The CFMEU is also affiliated to the International Chemical Energy Mine and General Workers Federation (ICEM), which represents more than 20 million workers in more than 132 countries. Tony is a member of the International Executive Committee and a Vice President of the Asia Pacific region