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History

  • The Health and Community Services Union (HACSU) is over 100 years old — workers first registered the union in 1911 as the Hospital and Asylum Attendants and Employees' Union. 

After operating informally for several years, Our union was first registered as a federal organisation on April 12, 1911, under the Conciliation and Arbitration Act. It was initially called The Hospital and Asylum Attendants and Employees’ Union, and its’ only members were in Victoria.

In 1914 the union changed the name to The Hospital Dispensary and Asylum Employees’ Association.  From 1924 branches in other states were formed.

On May 26, 1922, another Melbourne based Federal Organisation, The Hospital Employees’ Association, was registered.  All its’ members worked in Victorian, and an amalgamation of the two bodies took place in 1930 and formed The Hospital, Dispensary and Asylum Employees’ and Allied Government Officers’ Federation of Australia.

In 1946 the name was formally changed to The Hospital Employees’ Federation of Australasia and became The Hospital Employees’ Federation of Australia in 1959.  This name of the Federal Union continued until its’ modern-day Health Services Union of Australia, which occurred after the amalgamation of The Hospital Employees Federation of Australia and N.S.W. Health and Research Employees’ Association in 1991.

Following this amalgamation, the HEF No 2 Branch, Victoria, assumed the name of the Health and Community Services Union in February 1991.  The name HACSU better reflected the membership and the work performed in psychiatric, drug and alcohol and intellectual disability services.

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