22:
157:
96:, passed the Industrial Law Amendment Act of 1948, which gave police extraordinary powers to arrest without warrant and enter any home without cause. The bill, described as "one of the most drastic bills ever brought before an Australian parliament", was aimed at preventing picketing and ending the railway strike.
76:
These issues were inflamed by other issues
Queensland was facing at the time: clothing, petrol and meat were still being rationed, while a severe drought had led to meat and milk shortages in Brisbane and a reduced sugar cane harvest in the North. In March 1947, the Commonwealth statistician reported
60:
The main reason for the strike was the failure of the state
Arbitration Court to hear claims the relevant unions lodged the previous year. In these claims the unions sought wages comparable to those covering railway workers in other states. The unions were also unhappy about the Court's apparent
130:
On 1 April, following seven and a half hours of discussion, the
Central Railway Disputes Committee recommended workers accept a wage rise of 12s.4d. a week, with proportionate increases for unskilled and semi-skilled workers. While this was less than the unions had originally requested, it was
72:
left
Queensland's railways rundown and badly in need of maintenance, but there was a shortage of materials and skilled workers to deal with the demand. Furthermore, because the Railways Department was unable to pay a competitive wage, they could not attract the number of workers they needed.
411:
73:
Eventually, the department contracted some of the work out to private firms, but this further insulted the unions and railway workers because the tradesmen employed by these private firms were being paid more than the department's own employees.
107:
in order to protest the law. Police soon closed in on the demonstrators, tore the placards from their grasp and attacked them with batons. Five men were arrested and two were hospitalized. One of the men who was hospitalized was
131:
substantially more than the department had originally offered. Following the recommendation of the committee, the railwaymen accepted the government's offer, and the rail strike finally ended at midnight on 5 April 1948.
112:, Queensland Member of the Legislative Assembly for the seat of Bowen. Patterson's injuries included scalp lacerations, brain damage, concussion and shock. The incident was later known as the "St Patrick's Day Bash".
103:(17 Mar), in response to the passing of this legislation, a group of men and women carrying banners, placards and a fake coffin proceeded down Edward St from Trades Hall towards
419:
137:
The strike had a long-lasting impact on the
Queensland labour movement, generating friction in the union ranks and exposing the struggle between the
84:
tradesmen employed by the
Queensland Railways Department officially stopped work at one minute past midnight on Tuesday 3 February 1948.
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was a strike which lasted nine weeks, from 3 February to 5 April 1948, over wages of workers at railway workshops and
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Queensland paid a heavy economic toll for the work stoppage, with estimates it cost the state up to £20 million.
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In the following days there was mass protest over the incident with thousands of union sympathizers gathering in
21:
45:
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delay in hearing their further claim regarding weekend penalty rates, a claim which was linked to the
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that more than half the country's unemployed were in
Queensland, and that this number was rising.
162:
93:
25:
Confrontation with police during demonstration in support of the strike, Brisbane, 17 March 1948
306:
Fitzgerald, Ross (1997). "The People's
Champion: Fred Paterson and St Patrick's Day 1948".
8:
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No
Ribbons or Medals: The story of 'Hereward', an Australian counter espionage officer
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183:
631:
249:
386:
Baker, David (2002). "Chapter 3: Public Order
Policing". In Prenzler, Tim (ed.).
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in Queensland, Bob Wake played an active role in watching the activities of the
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412:"Collection Spotlight for March: St Patrick's Day Bash, Brisbane, 1948"
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In June of that year, the so-called "Picket Law" was repealed.
156:
500:. 19 March 1948 – via National Library of Australia.
544:. 11 June 1948 – via National Library of Australia.
355:
353:
351:
349:
347:
560:
The Armidale Express and New England General Advertiser
182:. Mitcham, South Australia, Australia: Jacobyte Books.
326:"No more picketing: police get wider power by new law"
55:
344:
119:, with other demonstrations held around the country.
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634:at takver, an Australian Radical History Web Page.
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92:On 9 Mar 1948, the Queensland Parliament, led by
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240:Cribb, Margaret (1973). "State in Emergency".
201:available from Digital Print, South Australia.
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622:– via National Library of Australia.
596:– via National Library of Australia.
570:– via National Library of Australia.
526:– via National Library of Australia.
482:– via National Library of Australia.
456:– via National Library of Australia.
418:. University of Queensland. Archived from
375:– via National Library of Australia.
340:– via National Library of Australia.
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290:– via National Library of Australia.
204:
20:
640:
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239:
361:"Police clash with reds' city march"
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16:Nine week strike over worker's wages
80:Amid this background, workshop and
56:Background and causes of the strike
13:
538:"Unions win repeal of fascist law"
14:
679:
388:Police Reform: Building Integrity
276:"Unemployment is rising says Pie"
556:"Ending! Queensland rail strike"
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658:1948 labor disputes and strikes
632:The Queensland Rail Strike 1948
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548:
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512:"Hanlon will repeal picket law"
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486:
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442:"Brisbane rally passes quietly"
126:End of strike and repercussions
468:"Scenes in Brisbane yesterday"
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178:Wake, Valdemar Robert (2004).
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31:1948 Queensland railway strike
1:
608:"Rail strike cost state £20M"
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46:Commonwealth Security Service
653:Labour disputes in Australia
139:Communist Party of Australia
50:Communist Party of Australia
7:
10:
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494:"N.T. workers demonstrate"
612:Townsville Daily Bulletin
582:"Rail strike at an end"
163:Organized labour portal
88:"St Patrick's Day Bash"
648:Rail transport strikes
105:Central Street Station
26:
24:
668:1940s in Queensland
145:for years to come.
52:during the strike.
117:King George Square
94:Premier Ned Hanlon
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663:1948 in Australia
542:Northern Standard
498:Northern Standard
308:The Sydney Papers
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474:. 20 March 1948
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448:. 19 March 1948
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332:. 10 March 1948
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282:. 27 March 1947
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248:(24): 225–248.
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68:The demands of
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614:. 5 April 1948
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588:. 6 April 1948
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562:. 2 April 1948
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422:on 7 July 2015
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397:978-1876067151
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518:. 9 June 1948
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618:14 February
592:14 February
566:14 February
522:13 February
478:13 February
452:13 February
426:13 February
371:13 February
336:13 February
286:14 February
642:Categories
446:The Herald
314:(3): 1–13.
149:References
65:campaign.
39:Queensland
37:depots in
35:locomotive
472:The Argus
262:27508085
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258:JSTOR
620:2019
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184:ISBN
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29:The
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
