The Brisbane Labour History Association is the Brisbane branch of the Australian Society for the Study of Labour History.  The Association was formed in 1990 to encourage and promote the study, teaching, research and publication of labour history and the preservation of labour archives.

We define labour history broadly to include the innumerable forms of productive activity that have existed in human societies in Australia prior to and since colonisation, the processes and organisation of production, the class relations of the workplace, the conflicts arising from these relations, the connections between class, race and gender, the industrial and political organisations created by workers and employers to effect change, the role of the state in class formation, the cultural expressions of class and the ways in which people who live by their labour have recorded, remembered and represented their history.

Although the BLHA has a particular focus on Brisbane and Queensland, we support the study of labour history in its local, national and transnational settings. We also encourage the study of social movements in which workers have participated or which have affected workers’ social, political or economic circumstances.

Our activities include meetings, talks, conferences and the publication of labour history.