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Pro-worker SEQEB Dispute poster attacking 'scab' strike-breakers, Ipswich, July 1985
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TitlePro-worker SEQEB Dispute poster attacking 'scab' strike-breakers, Ipswich, July 1985Date Created17th July 1985AcknowledgementQueensland Times
Location
City & StateIpswich, QueenslandGeo Coordinatesnot specified
Description
DescriptionFrom late 1984 to early 1986, South East Queensland Electricity Board (SEQEB) (pronounced ‘see-qweb’), under the Nationalist Bjelke-Petersen Government, was in a contentious controversy with some of its employees and the Electrical Trades Union (ETU). This became known as the SEQEB Dispute.
In February 1985, (SEQEB) fired 1002 employees. The employees were in permanent positions and as such had guaranteed earnings and benefits. SEQEB intended to fill the newly vacant roles of these employees with contract workers. Contract workers would not have had guaranteed earnings and would have had fewer entitlements and protections.
The fired employees were members of the ETU which moved to pressure SEQEB to walk back their decision and rehire the employees by implementing a worker strike on the 6th of February 1985.
The strike caused massive and recurrent blackouts over Queensland. The lack of power interrupted life support systems and dialysis machines in hospitals. Sewerage treatment centres and water supply was also affected. Stores remained open where possible and utilized other sources of light like torches or gas powered lights. Perishable stock could not be preserved and restaurants were only able to cook with gas powered equipment. Petrol could not be sold as there was no power to the petrol bowsers to pump it into cars. Traffic lights also run on electricity, so police directed traffic at major intersections to attempt to avoid car accidents. Other employees from other businesses were unable to work due to having no power and were stood down.
The local community was divided over the strike. Many of those inconvenienced by the power shortages were frustrated by the disruption to their daily lives and organized counterstrikes to protest the strike. Some of the residents of the 17500 homes affected by rotating hour-on-hour-off blackouts resorted to candles for light and house fires occurred as a result and due to power surges following electricity returning. However, there was also community support; one restaurant serving hot food wrote a sign posted outside their business stating:
“WE COOK WITH GAS
SO THERE S.E.Q.E.B.”
Other trade unions joined the ETU and struck in solidarity, including coal handlers, transport unions, rail workers (helmed by rail boss and future Queensland Premier Peter Beattie), telecommunications unions, postal unions, and butter industry workers.
On the 7th of February 1985, the Queensland Bjelke-Petersen National Party Government declared a state of emergency in Queensland lasting for one month until the 7th of March 1985. The government introduced a bill in January 1985 which would penalize employees who participated in strikes. During 1985, the government amended the Essential Services Act to include penalizing people for refusing to supply their name and address to police.
In a bid to end the strike, the government enacted new laws to criminalise picket lines such as the ones formed by the SEQEB workers to protest their treatment. One of these laws was the Electricity (Continuity of Supply) Act.
Sir Joh Bjelke Petersen made a televised speech, declaring:
“At risk is our whole system of industrial democracy.”
However, the Queensland Cabinet denied government advertising in support of the ETU and required all government advertising to be approved by the Premier’s Office director of Government News.
The Queensland ETU officials met in March 1985 and decided to end the strike and return to work at SQEB to resupply electricity to Queensland as of 7th of March. This decision was not supported by all the strikers, as they were not getting their rights back as they were before the dispute began. While the strike was over, the dispute continued with protests against SEQEB and the ‘scabs’ who would return to work under ‘no-strike’ conditions and even against the ETU. The ETU had lost the support of the strikers who believed they had been sold out by the ETU officials.
In May 1985, the Cabinet of Queensland approved funding of $200 000 to pay legal representatives to act on their behalf in the legal dispute against the ETU.
In April 1985, 96 people were arrested at one of the strike protests.
Brisbane priests were among 100 people arrested at a protest outside the SEQEB depot in New Farm. The priests were peacefully protesting by singing hymns and had arranged for a solicitor, Stephen Keim, to speak to the police on their behalf and explain that they did not intend to harass SEQEB workers or prevent work from being carried out but to be “an identifiable group of people in the vicinity of [their] cross”.
A policeman was filmed by Channel 9 program Today Tonight declaring the protesters under threat of arrest:
“In these circumstances, each one of you has committed an offense against Section Five of the Electricity (Continuity of Supply) Act and are liable to be arrested if you remain here.”
The same policemen instructed the protestors:
“I am directing that this group of persons disperse and that each member of that group leave this location, otherwise you will be arrested.”
The same policeman also said, when asked if the clergy protesters were breaking the law:
“[T]he law states that if you join in with the mob that is harassing the SEQEB workers – you’re breaking the law. So they’re [the clergymen] joined with the group here so they’re breaking the law.”
The protest chants included:
“Reinstate the Linesmen
Give the sacked a go”
And the chorus of the song ‘We Shall Not be Moved’ by The Seekers;
“We shall not we shall not be moved
We shall not we shall not be moved
Just like a tree that's standing by the water side
We shall not be moved”
The protestors were arrested, according to plain clothes Sergeant Gordon of the Queensland Police, under Section 513 of the Electricity (Continuity of Supply) Act, specifically for harassing the employees of SEQEB, though, when requested for comment by the solicitor of the clergymen, Mr Keim, the specific acts of harassment were not explicitly stated by Sergeant Gordon, who said, instead:
“We’ll work it out – you’ll certainly work it out in court.”
And, when reminded that people who are under arrest are entitled to have the particulars of their arrest explained to them;
“He’s [one of the clergymen] got all the particulars he’s entitled to, sir.”
There has not been an official conclusion to the dispute such as with armistice or negotiation talks. The SEQEB dispute continued with gradually weakening support until the end of 1985 or the beginning of 1986, but by October 1985 many striking former SEQEB employees had taken on other jobs with other employers or SEQEB jobs with anti-strike clauses and so could no longer participate in organisation. In November 1985, the government successfully deregistered the ETU for a period of six months in order to disorganize the SEQEB workers and their supporters and prevent future opposition from workers.
References (online)Three big disputes - Bob Carnegie - 13 July 2017 - Workers’ Liberty Reason in Revolt – [accessed 30 April 2025]Queensland Power Dispute - Charles Wood – 1985 - Today Tonight – Channel 9 – [accessed 30 April 2025]Queensland Power Strike - Tony Davenport – 1985 - Flashback- Seven News – [accessed 30 April 2025]Archive documents reveal Queensland's 1985 SEQEB dispute - Tony Moore - 31 December 2015 -Brisbane Times – [accessed 30 April 2025]Interview with Dick Williams, President of the Queensland Branch of the ALP and former Secretary of the ETU (Queensland Branch) - Howard Guille and Ross Gwyther - January 2013 – Workers’ Bush Telegraph - [accessed 30 April 2025]The 1985 SEQEB dispute - 10 February 2021 - ACTU Institute - [accessed 30 April 2025]Agency and discourse in labour history : a case study of the SEQEB dispute - Mark Sherry – 1995 – The University of Queensland – [Accessed 30 April 2025]
In February 1985, (SEQEB) fired 1002 employees. The employees were in permanent positions and as such had guaranteed earnings and benefits. SEQEB intended to fill the newly vacant roles of these employees with contract workers. Contract workers would not have had guaranteed earnings and would have had fewer entitlements and protections.
The fired employees were members of the ETU which moved to pressure SEQEB to walk back their decision and rehire the employees by implementing a worker strike on the 6th of February 1985.
The strike caused massive and recurrent blackouts over Queensland. The lack of power interrupted life support systems and dialysis machines in hospitals. Sewerage treatment centres and water supply was also affected. Stores remained open where possible and utilized other sources of light like torches or gas powered lights. Perishable stock could not be preserved and restaurants were only able to cook with gas powered equipment. Petrol could not be sold as there was no power to the petrol bowsers to pump it into cars. Traffic lights also run on electricity, so police directed traffic at major intersections to attempt to avoid car accidents. Other employees from other businesses were unable to work due to having no power and were stood down.
The local community was divided over the strike. Many of those inconvenienced by the power shortages were frustrated by the disruption to their daily lives and organized counterstrikes to protest the strike. Some of the residents of the 17500 homes affected by rotating hour-on-hour-off blackouts resorted to candles for light and house fires occurred as a result and due to power surges following electricity returning. However, there was also community support; one restaurant serving hot food wrote a sign posted outside their business stating:
“WE COOK WITH GAS
SO THERE S.E.Q.E.B.”
Other trade unions joined the ETU and struck in solidarity, including coal handlers, transport unions, rail workers (helmed by rail boss and future Queensland Premier Peter Beattie), telecommunications unions, postal unions, and butter industry workers.
On the 7th of February 1985, the Queensland Bjelke-Petersen National Party Government declared a state of emergency in Queensland lasting for one month until the 7th of March 1985. The government introduced a bill in January 1985 which would penalize employees who participated in strikes. During 1985, the government amended the Essential Services Act to include penalizing people for refusing to supply their name and address to police.
In a bid to end the strike, the government enacted new laws to criminalise picket lines such as the ones formed by the SEQEB workers to protest their treatment. One of these laws was the Electricity (Continuity of Supply) Act.
Sir Joh Bjelke Petersen made a televised speech, declaring:
“At risk is our whole system of industrial democracy.”
However, the Queensland Cabinet denied government advertising in support of the ETU and required all government advertising to be approved by the Premier’s Office director of Government News.
The Queensland ETU officials met in March 1985 and decided to end the strike and return to work at SQEB to resupply electricity to Queensland as of 7th of March. This decision was not supported by all the strikers, as they were not getting their rights back as they were before the dispute began. While the strike was over, the dispute continued with protests against SEQEB and the ‘scabs’ who would return to work under ‘no-strike’ conditions and even against the ETU. The ETU had lost the support of the strikers who believed they had been sold out by the ETU officials.
In May 1985, the Cabinet of Queensland approved funding of $200 000 to pay legal representatives to act on their behalf in the legal dispute against the ETU.
In April 1985, 96 people were arrested at one of the strike protests.
Brisbane priests were among 100 people arrested at a protest outside the SEQEB depot in New Farm. The priests were peacefully protesting by singing hymns and had arranged for a solicitor, Stephen Keim, to speak to the police on their behalf and explain that they did not intend to harass SEQEB workers or prevent work from being carried out but to be “an identifiable group of people in the vicinity of [their] cross”.
A policeman was filmed by Channel 9 program Today Tonight declaring the protesters under threat of arrest:
“In these circumstances, each one of you has committed an offense against Section Five of the Electricity (Continuity of Supply) Act and are liable to be arrested if you remain here.”
The same policemen instructed the protestors:
“I am directing that this group of persons disperse and that each member of that group leave this location, otherwise you will be arrested.”
The same policeman also said, when asked if the clergy protesters were breaking the law:
“[T]he law states that if you join in with the mob that is harassing the SEQEB workers – you’re breaking the law. So they’re [the clergymen] joined with the group here so they’re breaking the law.”
The protest chants included:
“Reinstate the Linesmen
Give the sacked a go”
And the chorus of the song ‘We Shall Not be Moved’ by The Seekers;
“We shall not we shall not be moved
We shall not we shall not be moved
Just like a tree that's standing by the water side
We shall not be moved”
The protestors were arrested, according to plain clothes Sergeant Gordon of the Queensland Police, under Section 513 of the Electricity (Continuity of Supply) Act, specifically for harassing the employees of SEQEB, though, when requested for comment by the solicitor of the clergymen, Mr Keim, the specific acts of harassment were not explicitly stated by Sergeant Gordon, who said, instead:
“We’ll work it out – you’ll certainly work it out in court.”
And, when reminded that people who are under arrest are entitled to have the particulars of their arrest explained to them;
“He’s [one of the clergymen] got all the particulars he’s entitled to, sir.”
There has not been an official conclusion to the dispute such as with armistice or negotiation talks. The SEQEB dispute continued with gradually weakening support until the end of 1985 or the beginning of 1986, but by October 1985 many striking former SEQEB employees had taken on other jobs with other employers or SEQEB jobs with anti-strike clauses and so could no longer participate in organisation. In November 1985, the government successfully deregistered the ETU for a period of six months in order to disorganize the SEQEB workers and their supporters and prevent future opposition from workers.
References (online)Three big disputes - Bob Carnegie - 13 July 2017 - Workers’ Liberty Reason in Revolt – [accessed 30 April 2025]Queensland Power Dispute - Charles Wood – 1985 - Today Tonight – Channel 9 – [accessed 30 April 2025]Queensland Power Strike - Tony Davenport – 1985 - Flashback- Seven News – [accessed 30 April 2025]Archive documents reveal Queensland's 1985 SEQEB dispute - Tony Moore - 31 December 2015 -Brisbane Times – [accessed 30 April 2025]Interview with Dick Williams, President of the Queensland Branch of the ALP and former Secretary of the ETU (Queensland Branch) - Howard Guille and Ross Gwyther - January 2013 – Workers’ Bush Telegraph - [accessed 30 April 2025]The 1985 SEQEB dispute - 10 February 2021 - ACTU Institute - [accessed 30 April 2025]Agency and discourse in labour history : a case study of the SEQEB dispute - Mark Sherry – 1995 – The University of Queensland – [Accessed 30 April 2025]
Connections
EventsSEQEB Strike (1985)SEQEB DisputeGovernment & Non-Government OrganisationsSouth East Queensland Electricity Generating Board (SEQEB)Electrical Trades Union (ETU)Taxonomy20th Century | 1980s | 1985
Queensland Times Collection
Queensland Times CollectionJuly 1985 - Queensland TimesThe Queensland Times Collection
Asset Details
Reference IDQT-1985-07-17-0040QT-1985-07-17-0041Asset TypeImage - JpegImages, Maps and Artefacts (Trove mapping field)imageColour or Black & White ImageBlack & WhitePhysical DescriptionNegativeCopyright NoticeThis work was created after 1st January 1955. It is protected by the Copyright Act 1968. Copyright duration is for the life of the creator plus 70 years.
The creator retains ownership of the copyright of this work. The creator has granted Picture Ipswich a non-exclusive, non-transferable right to use and reproduce this work.
Under the Fair Dealing exception of the Copyright Act 1968, you can use this work for research or study, criticism or review, and parody or satire. Moral rights remain and the work MUST be correctly attributed to its creator (photographer, studio, author, etc.) with acknowledgement of Picture Ipswich as the source of the work.
You CANNOT use this work for any other purpose (including redistribution on social media platforms) without seeking permission first.
For more information, or if you require a higher resolution copy of this work, please contact Picture Ipswich.CopyrightPicture Ipswich Copyright Information
The creator retains ownership of the copyright of this work. The creator has granted Picture Ipswich a non-exclusive, non-transferable right to use and reproduce this work.
Under the Fair Dealing exception of the Copyright Act 1968, you can use this work for research or study, criticism or review, and parody or satire. Moral rights remain and the work MUST be correctly attributed to its creator (photographer, studio, author, etc.) with acknowledgement of Picture Ipswich as the source of the work.
You CANNOT use this work for any other purpose (including redistribution on social media platforms) without seeking permission first.
For more information, or if you require a higher resolution copy of this work, please contact Picture Ipswich.CopyrightPicture Ipswich Copyright Information
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Queensland Times Collection
Copyright
This work is protected under the Copyright Act 1968
This work was created after 1st January 1955. It is protected by the Copyright Act 1968. Copyright duration is for the life of the creator plus 70 years.
The creator retains ownership of the copyright of this work. The creator has granted Picture Ipswich a non-exclusive, non-transferable right to use and reproduce this work.
Under the Fair Dealing exception of the Copyright Act 1968, you can use this work for research or study, criticism or review, and parody or satire. Moral rights remain and the work MUST be correctly attributed to its creator (photographer, studio, author, etc.) with acknowledgement of Picture Ipswich as the source of the work.
You CANNOT use this work for any other purpose (including redistribution on social media platforms) without seeking permission first.
For more information, or if you require a higher resolution copy of this work, please contact Picture Ipswich.
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Pro-worker SEQEB Dispute poster attacking 'scab' strike-breakers, Ipswich, July 1985. Picture Ipswich, accessed 25/10/2026, https://www.pictureipswich.com.au/nodes/view/27934