Sally McManus


Sally McManus is an Australian trade unionist and political activist who has served as the Secretary of the Australian Council of Trade Unions since 2017. She is the first woman to hold the position in the ACTU's 90-year history.

Early life

McManus grew up in Carlingford, New South Wales, Australia, a suburb of Sydney, the daughter of a railway worker and a clerical staffer at a Parramatta pharmaceuticals factory. At the age of 17, McManus was first drawn to left-wing movements during a protest against mass teacher lay-offs by the Greiner Liberal state government in 1988.

Education

McManus went to Carlingford High School in Sydney and studied for a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy at Macquarie University. McManus was president of the Macquarie University student union, and was also briefly involved in the student council. Deputy Leader of Labor, Tanya Plibersek knew McManus during their time at University.

Career

McManus was NSW Secretary of the Australian Services Union before becoming ACTU Secretary. She moved to the ACTU during 2015. During the 2016 federal election, McManus led the ACTU's "Building a Better Future" campaign. McManus has stated that the ACTU will not be distancing itself from the CFMEU over industrial action. In February 2019 McManus's On Fairness was published by Melbourne University Publishing. During the 2019 federal election, McManus, along with Bill Shorten was the target of fake tweets on Facebook. During the COVID-19 pandemic Sally McManus directly negotiated new amendments to the Fair Work Act with the Attorney-General Christian Porter. Mr Porter hailed the negotiations as a success, with McManus stating that; "We had been concerned that several employer groups had been advocating for a widespread removal of workers' rights akin to WorkChoices".

Activism

In 2012, McManus was active in the Destroy The Joint campaign formed in response to radio broadcaster Alan Jones's criticism of then Prime Minister Julia Gillard and other prominent women. Her activism was recognised in 2015 when she received an Edna Ryan Award in the Grand Stirrer category. In 1988 she joined protests against newly-elected NSW Premier Nick Greiner's sacking of public sector workers.

Personal life

McManus is an enthusiastic player of computer games, and describes herself as “the definition of a total gamer”, who has been playing since the DOS era. She particularly enjoys Metal Gear Solid, on PlayStation, and says her favourite of all is Civilization. McManus holds a black belt in both kung fu and taekwondo. In a 2020 interview with Benjamin Law, she says she has also recently started kickboxing. McManus played soccer for many years as a goalkeeper, and is a long-term supporter of the Parramatta Eels rugby league team. On weekends, she pursues her hobbies of bird watching and photography.