Perth Trades Hall facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Perth Trades Hall |
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Perth Trades Hall building
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| General information | |
| Type | Heritage listed building |
| Location | Perth, Western Australia |
| Coordinates | 31°56′59″S 115°51′46″E / 31.949780°S 115.862720°E |
| Type | State Registered Place |
| Designated | 30 July 2004 |
| Reference no. | 8783 |
The Perth Trades Hall is an old building in Perth, Western Australia. It has been home to many different groups that are part of the trade union movement in Western Australia. Today, it is the main office for the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) in WA.
Contents
History of the Building
Early Days and Construction
Even though a group called the Trades and Labour Council (TLC) started in Perth in 1891, they didn't have enough money to build their own hall until 1911. This changed when Alick McCallum became the general secretary of the Australian Labour Federation, which was the name for the TLC at that time.
A man named Ernest Henshaw was very important in designing and building the original trades hall. It was a three-storey building in a style called neo-Georgian. It was built at 80 Beaufort Street, which used to be the site of Perth's first Scotch College.
Opening the Hall
The first stone of the building was laid by Prime Minister Andrew Fisher on August 8, 1911. The hall officially opened on April 20, 1912. John Scaddan, who was the premier of Western Australia and had also been a secretary for the trades hall, opened it.
Changes Over Time
In 1985, the building was sold and became an art gallery called the Delaney Gallery. The WA Heritage Council has listed it as a special heritage place. A photo from 2010 shows that the name "Trades Hall" was put back above the main entrance.
A new "Perth Trades Hall" opened on May Day in 2000 at Unity House, 77-79 Stirling Street. This new building offered offices and meeting rooms for trade unions, the Australian Labor Party, and other community groups. Later, the TLC (now called UnionsWA) moved to a different building in 2007. The WA Labor Party also moved to new offices.
Back to Its Roots
In 2013, the CFMEU Western Australia bought the original building. They wanted it to be used again for trade union business, just as it was first intended. Union workers did a lot of work to fix up the building. They tried to make it look as much like the original as possible, while also adding modern features for staff.
On June 29, 2014, the building was reopened by Michael O'Connor, who was the national secretary of the CFMEU. He showed a special plaque that said, "Back in the Hands of those who built it." Now, the building is not only home to the CFMEU but is also used regularly by other similar groups for meetings.
