It’s official. The Timber, Furnishing and Textiles Union (TFTU) has finalised its divorce from the CFMEU and registered as Australia’s newest union. That is according to TFTU National Secretary Michael O’Connor, who this afternoon confirmed the registration following the Federal Court of Australia’s final orders.
O’Connor said the registration marked the start of a new chapter for workers across 11 manufacturing sectors, completing a months-long process initiated by members through a decisive ballot.
“Today, the Timber, Furnishing and Textiles Union officially begins as Australia’s newest union.”
Michael O’Connor, TFTU’s National Secretary, who spoke following a months-long process to establish the country’s first union dedicated to timber and forestry workers.
The mandate came from a ballot in which more than 91 per cent of the CFMEU’s Manufacturing Division members voted to establish the TFTU, with O’Connor describing the outcome as a demand for industry-specific representation over generalised coverage: “Our members voted decisively for change because they wanted a stronger union focused entirely on their industries, their jobs and their future,” O’Connor stressed.
The split followed mounting member frustration with dysfunction inside the broader CFMEU, O’Connor said, with the TFTU structured from registration to put members in direct control of their union. “This is the foundation for building a modern, democratic and member-led union that delivers,” he said.
O’Connor thanked members, delegates and the broader trade union movement — led by the Australian Council of Trade Unions — for their support, which he described as integral to the demerger’s outcome. “We thank every member who backed this change and everyone who stood with us,” he said.
The TFTU becomes the second union to formally break from the CFMEU, following the Mining and Energy Union’s 2023 departure, with both demergers enabled by legislation championed by Senator Jacqui Lambie and supported by the Albanese government and the Coalition.
With representation now spanning timber, pulp and paper, wood products, furnishings, cabinetry, joinery, floor coverings, glass and glazing, textile, clothing and footwear manufacturing, O’Connor said the TFTU’s immediate priorities would be growing membership and strengthening workplace organisation for the workers it now covers.
