Bill Ludwig
Encyclopedia
William Patrick Ludwig OAM
, Australia
n trade union
official, is National President and Queensland state secretary of the Australian Workers' Union
(AWU), one of Australia's oldest and largest unions.
Ludwig was born in Queensland
in 1927 and was educated at Marist College
in the Brisbane
suburb of Ashgrove
. He began his working life as a shearer and remained in the pastoral industry until 1971 when he became an employee of the AWU.
In 1982 Ludwig was elected as the South Western District Secretary of the AWU in Queensland, a position he held until he was elected as the Secretary of the state branch in Queensland in 1988.
Ludwig is head of the powerful Labor Forum or AWU Faction which dominates the Queensland
branch of the Australian Labor Party
. Ludwig is a member of the ALP National Executive and Vice President of the ALP's Queensland Branch. His son Joe Ludwig
is an ALP Senator
from Queensland and is Minister for Human Services following the election of the Rudd Labor government at the November 2007 election and was previously the Shadow Minister for Justice & Customs.
In 1997 he was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for service to Industrial Relations through The Australian Workers' Union and in 2001 he was awarded the Centenary Medal
.
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
official, is National President and Queensland state secretary of the Australian Workers' Union
Australian Workers' Union
The Australian Workers' Union is one of Australia's largest and oldest trade unions. It traces its origins to unions founded in the pastoral and mining industries in the 1880s, and currently has approximately 135,000 members...
(AWU), one of Australia's oldest and largest unions.
Ludwig was born in Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
in 1927 and was educated at Marist College
Marist College Ashgrove
Marist College Ashgrove is a Roman Catholic day and boarding school for boys, located in Ashgrove, a northern suburb of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia....
in the Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
suburb of Ashgrove
Ashgrove, Queensland
Ashgrove is an inner suburb of Brisbane in Queensland, Australia, located approximately 4 km north-west of the Brisbane CBD. Ashgrove is a leafy residential suburb, characterised by its hilly terrain and characteristic Ashgrovian houses built in the early 20th century...
. He began his working life as a shearer and remained in the pastoral industry until 1971 when he became an employee of the AWU.
In 1982 Ludwig was elected as the South Western District Secretary of the AWU in Queensland, a position he held until he was elected as the Secretary of the state branch in Queensland in 1988.
Ludwig is head of the powerful Labor Forum or AWU Faction which dominates the Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
branch of the Australian Labor Party
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
. Ludwig is a member of the ALP National Executive and Vice President of the ALP's Queensland Branch. His son Joe Ludwig
Joe Ludwig
Senator the Hon Joseph William Ludwig , Australian politician, has been a member of the Australian Senate for the state of Queensland since July 1999, representing the Australian Labor Party.-Biography:...
is an ALP Senator
Australian Senate
The Senate is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Australia, the lower house being the House of Representatives. Senators are popularly elected under a system of proportional representation. Senators are elected for a term that is usually six years; after a double dissolution, however,...
from Queensland and is Minister for Human Services following the election of the Rudd Labor government at the November 2007 election and was previously the Shadow Minister for Justice & Customs.
In 1997 he was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for service to Industrial Relations through The Australian Workers' Union and in 2001 he was awarded the Centenary Medal
Centenary Medal
The Centenary Medal is an award created by the Australian Government in 2001. It was established to commemorate the Centenary of Federation of Australia and to honour people who have made a contribution to Australian society or government...
.