• Entry type: Person
  • Entry ID: AWE4918

Carson, Barbara

Barbara Carson c.1985
  • Occupation Nurse, Trade unionist

Summary

Barbara Carson became Branch Secretary of the Royal Australian Nursing Federation (Victorian Branch) (RANF(Vic)) in 1980. This appointment heralded an ideological shift within the union which had traditionally been a conservative organisation.

Most famously, in 1984 Carson lobbied successfully for the removal of the ‘no strike clause’ from the Branch rules.This action paved the way for nurses to have more collective power and industrial strength, allowing their demands to be taken seriously.

A more comprehensive entry for Fitzpatrick will appear later in 2013 when the Encyclopedia of Australian Women and Leadership in the Twentieth Century goes online.

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Related entries


  • Branch Secretary
    • Royal Australian Nursing Federation (Victorian Branch) (1975 - 1988)