Overview
- The ACTU executive has appointed Melissa Donnelly as secretary‑elect and she will take over at the end of August, replacing Sally McManus after a decade leading the peak union body.
- Donnelly says her first priority is to push wage growth that keeps up with rising prices so households face less cost‑of‑living pressure at shops and on household budgets.
- She brings seven years as national secretary of the CPSU where she reversed outsourcing, won work‑from‑home rights for public servants, and secured eight weeks paid parental leave for both parents.
- Donnelly highlights AI as a threat to jobs and says the ACTU must help set 'guardrails' to protect workers and young people who worry about future employment.
- She has declared a zero‑tolerance stance on corruption but has not given detailed plans for current integrity issues such as the CFMEU administration and IBAC findings, leaving governance reform and reputational repair as key early tests for her leadership.