History’s Wisdom - Key To Our Future
About
Labour History State Conference: History’s Wisdom - Key To Our FutureDate: 14 February 2026
Location: Adelaide University (Kaurna Country)
The Labour History Society (South Australia) invites you to the 2026 State Conference, History’s Wisdom - Key to Our Future. This year’s event will explore the vital lessons that Australian labour history offers as we confront the industrial, social, and political challenges of our time.
We meet at a pivotal moment for the labour movement. Union membership and power have declined, while the rise of AI and rapid technological change are reshaping the future of work. Precarious employment continues to erode wages and conditions, and workers confront intertwined crises of war, climate change, and unprecedented inequality. Meanwhile, the left grapples with the global resurgence of nationalist and divisive politics.
At the same time, a new generation of activists has emerged–within unions and across social movements–fighting for a vision of social justice in an era defined by transformation. These activists are reimagining the possibilities of collective action and asking fundamental questions: Why does labour history still matter? What lessons can we draw from the past to renew and strengthen our movement today?
The 2026 Labour History State Conference provides a forum to reflect on these questions. We will come together to discuss how the insights and experiences of the labour movement’s history can inspire and inform contemporary struggles for fairness, equality, and solidarity.
The conference will feature a keynote address by Professor Frank Bongiorno, acclaimed historian and author, reflecting on the continuing relevance of labour history for understanding Australia’s present and shaping its future.
The program includes 17 labour history papers and two panel discussions—on the South Australian state election and on artificial intelligence and the future of work. Papers will be presented by distinguished academic historians, unionists and community activists, examining themes such as far-right politics, threats to democracy, industrial struggle, and labour’s pasts and presents.
Presenters include Victoria Fielding (Adelaide University), Professor Emeritus Greg McCarthy (University of Western Australia), industrial relations expert Stewart Sweeney, Nicholas Herriot (2026 History Council of South Australia Fellow), Tim Briedis (People’s History of Australia podcast), and various postgraduate researchers. The conference will also feature the launch of Alexis Vassiley’s book Striking Ore: The Rise and Fall of Union Power in the Pilbara, a powerful account of strikes, solidarity and the fight for workers’ rights.
Union leaders addressing the conference include Gemma Beale (Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union) and Andrew Miller (National Tertiary Education Union), alongside political representatives from Labor, the Greens, and SA Socialists.
Scholars, activists, unionists and community members are warmly invited to join this gathering to reflect, debate, and reaffirm the ongoing significance of labour history in today’s world.
Registrations are now open.
Both registration options include morning tea, lunch, and afternoon tea.
• Full rate: $50
• Concession rate (unwaged and Labour History Society members): $30
• Solidarity rate: $100
Enquiries: labourhistorysa@gmail.com
Location
Adelaide University
South Australia 5000
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History’s Wisdom - Key To Our Future
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