Dual registration

There are many cases where state-registered unions have been absorbed by state branches of federally registered unions. An example of this is the merger between the Firemen and Deckhands' Union of New South Wales and the NSW Branch of the Seamen's Union of Australia. Mergers of this type have not been documented in Parties to the Award since they are not between two (or more) federally registered organisations. Such changes would only be documented by the federal Registry when the eligibility rules or name of the absorbing organisation are altered and certified. A similar instance is when a federally registered intrastate union federates with parallel intrastate unions which are not federally registered. For example, the federally registered Sydney Foremen Stevedores' Association changed its name to the Australian Foremen Stevedores' Association in 1941 then proceeded to federate with foremen stevedore associations outside Sydney, and organise new branches. Changes of name and rules regarding eligibility and the federal/branch structures were submitted for certification by the Commission.[30]

Within the federal system another kind of dual registration exists, principally due to administrative inaction and registration anomalies. When a registered organisation is unofficially absorbed by another registered organisation (or naturally becomes part of it, as in the case of a branch) the need for its registration to be cancelled has often not been brought to the Registrar's attention. For example, the Victorian, Adelaide, New South Wales and Queensland Branches of the Australian Boot Trade Employees' Federation were each granted separate federal registration in the period 1906 to 1907. In 1908 the federal union the Australian Boot Trade Employees' Federation was granted federal registration, which in effect superseded the four Branches' registrations. Their respective registrations, however, were not cancelled in 1908 but lingered until 1950. Likewise when the registered Australian Carriers' Union unofficially amalgamated with the registered Australian Workers' Union in 1913, its registration continued until 1950. The same applies for the registration of many truly defunct organisations. The operations of the Federated Cooks and Stewards' Union of Australia were wound down in 1914 yet it remained registered until 1950.

Due to this practice of deferred deregistration, the potential for confusion exists. With some exceptions such as the Permanent and Casual Wharf Laborers Union of Australia and the Australian Tramway and Motor Omnibus Employees' Association, almost all cancellations of registration which took place in 1950 did so on 6 March and as a result of an administrative rationalisation by the Registry. Most of the organisations which were deregistered on that date had become defunct in that form many years earlier.

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