Employer Body entry Queensland Chamber of Commerce & Industry Ltd (1994 - )

Summary

The origins of the Queensland Chamber of Commerce & Industry Ltd can be traced back to the establishment of the Brisbane Chamber of Commerce in 1868 by local merchants seeking representation of their interests to the British colonial government in Sydney. Twenty years later, nationally coordinated, organised labour unions became a major influence in Australia, and Queensland employers recognised a need to counterbalance the power and influence of these trade unions by forming the Queensland Employers' Federation in 1886. With the development of the strong regional economic centres which make Queensland a decentralised State, Employers' Associations were also established in North Queensland (1915), Central Queensland (1911), and Mackay (1920). The growth of manufacturing activity in the late 19th century led to the formation of the Queensland Chamber of Manufactures in 1899.

These organisations continued to represent their separate constituencies until the mid 1970s, when the end of the long post-war boom and the confluence of a number of other national and international economic influences led the Queensland Chamber of Manufactures, the Queensland Employers´ Federation, the North Queensland and Central Queensland Employers´ Associations and the Mackay Employers´ Federation to merge in 1976 to form the Queensland Confederation of Industry [QCI]. QCI combined the strengths of an important lobbying and industry policy advisory role with the established authority and expertise of Queensland´s leading industrial relations advocates and advisers. It was also the first truly State-wide employer, business and industry body with offices throughout the State.

The Brisbane Chamber of Commerce and Industry was re-named the State Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Queensland) in 1987. It merged with QCI and the Toowoomba Chamber of Commerce in 1994 to form the Queensland Chamber of Commerce and Industry. In April 2001, QCCI relaunched itself as Commerce Queensland.

Related entries

Timeline

 1868 - 1987 Brisbane Chamber of Commerce
 1890 - 1976 Queensland Employers Federation
 1899 - 1976 Queensland Chamber of Manufactures
 1911 - 1976 Central Queensland Employers Association
 1915 - 1976 North Queensland Employers Association
 1920 - 1976 Mackay Employer Association
       ? - 1994 Toowoomba Chamber of Commerce
       1976 - 1994 Queensland Confederation of Industry
       1987 - 1994 State Chamber of Commerce & Industry (Queensland)
             1994 - Queensland Chamber of Commerce & Industry Ltd

Published resources

Online Resources

• 'Chart 5: State and Territory Employers' Federations and Chambers of Commerce and Manufactures', in Parties to the Award, 2002, http://www.atua.org.au/ptta/025.html. Details