Leigh Hubbard was secretary of the

Victorian Trades Hall Council The Victorian Trades Hall Council (VTHC) is a representative body of trade union organisations, known as a labour council, in the state of Victoria, Australia. It comprises 43 affiliated trade unions and professional associations, and eight regi ...

for 10 years from 1995 to 2005, one of the most powerful trade union positions in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. During his time as Secretary he played a pivotal role in union battles with the Kennett government, the campaign to restore common law rights for injured workers, the

1998 Australian waterfront dispute The Australian waterfront dispute of 1998 was an event in Australian industrial relations history, in which the Patrick Corporation undertook a restructuring of their operations for the purpose of dismissing their workforce. The restructuring by ...

, the battles over award rights for Victorians who had been "left in the lurch" with the transfer of Industrial Relations powers to the Commonwealth in 1996, the

East Timor Timor-Leste, also known as East Timor, officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is a country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the coastal exclave of Oecusse in the island's northwest, and ...

campaigns in 1999 in which he urged that troops be sent there, and the

James Hardie James Hardie Industries plc is an American-Irish global building materials company and the largest global manufacturer of fibre cement products. Headquartered in Ireland, it is cross-listed on the Australian and New York Stock Exchanges. Its ...

campaign for compensation for victims of

asbestos Asbestos ( ) is a group of naturally occurring, Toxicity, toxic, carcinogenic and fibrous silicate minerals. There are six types, all of which are composed of long and thin fibrous Crystal habit, crystals, each fibre (particulate with length su ...

diseases. Leigh Hubbard has a BA and LLB from the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne (colloquially known as Melbourne University) is a public university, public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in the state ...

and has worked as a solicitor, an industrial officer, policy officer, and Secretary of the Victorian Trades Hall Council. He joined the Labor Party in 1980. After resigning as Secretary of the VTHC in 2005 he became the National Executive Officer of the United Firefighters Union of Australia.Howard's IR plans find a foe in new Trades Hall head, Brian Boyd
ABC Radio transcript, ''The World Today'', 8 March 2005. Accessed 30 April 207 He also has served as a member of the

Australian Council of Trade Unions The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU), originally the Australasian Council of Trade Unions, is the largest peak body representing workers in Australia. It is a national trade union centre of 46 affiliated trade union, unions and eight t ...

Executive and the Ethical Clothing Trades Council. From 2000 until March 2005 Hubbard was a member of the

Victorian State Training Board Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literature ...

. He also has experience on the board of the Victorian Qualifications Authority, the Manufacturing Industry Consultative Council and the Victorian Work Authority WorkCover Advisory Committee. In 2007 he became the Executive Officer of the Asbestos Diseases Society of Victoria
ADSVIC
.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hubbard, Leigh Trade unionists from Melbourne Living people Australian trade unionists Year of birth missing (living people)