{{Short description|Australian trade union official (born 1949)}} {{Use Australian English|date=August 2015}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2024}} '''Joseph de Bruyn''' {{post-nominals|country=AUS|AO}} (born 10 September 1949) is an Australian trade union official. He is the former National President of the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association (SDA) and a former member of the National Executive of the Australian Labor Party (ALP).
De Bruyn served as the SDA's National Secretary from 1978 to 2014.<ref>{{cite web|last=Knott|first=Matthew|title=Union Heavies – Joe de Bruyn|url=http://www.thepowerindex.com.au/union-heavies/joe-de-bruyn|work=The Power Index|accessdate=9 August 2013|date=29 May 2012|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130920064239/http://www.thepowerindex.com.au/union-heavies/joe-de-bruyn|archivedate=20 September 2013}}</ref> He was formerly the National President.<ref>{{cite web|last=Schneiders|first=Ben|title=New union to challenge 'shoppies' after massive wages scandal|url=http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/new-union-to-challenge-shoppies-after-massive-wages-scandal-20161119-gsszlr.html|accessdate=21 November 2016|date=21 November 2016}}</ref>
==Early life and education== De Bruyn was born in Roosendaal in the Netherlands in 1949. He migrated to Australia with his parents at the age of seven in 1956, and grew up in rural Victoria. He obtained a Bachelor of Agricultural Science from the University of Melbourne, and went on to study for a PhD in agricultural economics at the University of Sydney but did not complete the degree. He is married with four children, and lives in Melbourne, Victoria.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Phillips|first1=Mark|title=Anything but your average Joe|url=http://workinglife.org.au/2015/02/12/anything-but-your-average-joe/|accessdate=24 May 2016|work=Working Life|date=12 February 2015}}</ref>
==Career==
===Australian trade union movement and Labor=== As the national head of the SDA, de Bruyn had considerable influence in Australian trade union and political affairs. This was particularly so in Labor as delegations to the various State and Territory bodies that control party policy and pre-selections for State and Federal Parliaments are decided on a pro-rata basis of union members affiliated to the party.
De Bruyn strongly supported the ACTU's 'Rights at Work' campaign against the Howard Government's industrial relations laws passed in 2005. The union is a significant contributor to Labor election campaigns, according to Australian Electoral Commission funding disclosure returns.
Liberal MP Eric Abetz is quoted as saying "Joe de Bruyn is a role model of trade union officialdom. He is the type of official that gives trade unionism a good name."<ref name=SMH>[http://www.smh.com.au/national/why-is-the-union-that-represents-supermarket-workers-stopping-gay-marriage-20150501-1mwl32.html Why is the union that represents supermarket workers stopping gay marriage?: SMH 2 May 2015]</ref>
==Controversies== The SDA is associated with the Labor Right, Labor Unity or Centre-Unity grouping or faction of the trade union movement and the Australian Labor Party. It also has a long-established reputation as a supporter of conservative Catholic parliamentarians.<ref name="Age_Look">{{cite web|last=Grattan|first=Michelle|title=Look right, look left as faction action gathers pace|url=http://www.theage.com.au/federal-politics/political-opinion/look-right-look-left-as-faction-action-gathers-pace-20110319-1c1dr.html|work=The Age|location=Melbourne|accessdate=9 August 2013|date=20 March 2011}}</ref> De Bruyn, himself a Catholic, is a leading figure in the right wing faction of the trade union movement and the Australian Labor Party.<ref name="SMH_Another">{{cite web|last=Bush|first=Polly|title=Another Let's-Attack-A-Minority-Group-Wheel of Fortune, by John Howard|url=http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/07/30/1091080443475.html|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|accessdate=9 August 2013|date=30 July 2004}}</ref> De Bruyn has come under scrutiny for voicing his socially conservative views while being secretary of a trade union and holding a position on the National Executive of Labor, a centre-left political party.<ref>{{cite news|last=Davis|first=Mark|title=Labor backs legal rights for same-sex couples|url=http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/labor-backs-legal-rights-for-samesex-couples/2007/04/28/1177459995793.html|accessdate=9 August 2013|newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=28 April 2007}}</ref> He has repeatedly voiced opposition to abortion, and to legalising same-sex marriage.<ref>{{cite news|last=Rodgers|first=Emma|title=Union boss savages Gillard on gay marriage|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2010-11-19/union-boss-savages-gillard-on-gay-marriage/2343080|accessdate=9 August 2013|publisher=ABC News|location=Australia|date=19 November 2010}}</ref>
=== 2011 Anti same sex marriage motion === At a quarterly SDA members meeting in February 2011, de Bruyn moved a resolution against gay marriage, without giving any members a chance to speak or vote on the issue. This led to the first instance of members of the SDA speaking out and challenging de Bruyn on his stance on gay marriage. Speaking at an AWU event in 2003, former Labor Prime Minister Gough Whitlam quipped that "Joe de Bruyn is a Dutchman who hates dykes."<ref name="SMH_Rubbing">{{cite news|last=Norington|first=Brad|title=Rubbing shoulders with royalty – ALP royalty|url=http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/10/26/1067103270537.html|accessdate=9 August 2013|newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=27 October 2003}}</ref> In response to a 2014 poll with 72 percent support for same-sex marriage, de Bruyn dismissed the figures but refused to poll his members on the issue. He says he "knows they agree with him absolutely. When we talk to our members about out these things they agree with us".<ref name="SMH" />
=== 2024 ACU graduation walkout === During a graduation ceremony speech at the Australian Catholic University in October 2024, de Bruyn espoused anti-abortion and anti-same-sex marriage views leading to what was described by the ABC as a mass walkout, although the remaining students gave him a standing ovation.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |date=2024-10-21 |title=Students walk out during 'shocking' anti-abortion speech by former union boss at university graduation |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-10-22/acu-melbourne-student-walkout-over-anti-abortion-speech/104500510 |access-date=2024-10-22 |work=ABC News |language=en-AU}}</ref>
==Honours== In 2022, de Bruyn was appointed Officer of the Order of Australia in the 2022 Queen's Birthday Honours for "distinguished service to industrial relations, particularly the trade union sector, for superannuation reform, and to higher education".<ref name="SMH QB2022">{{cite news |title=Queen's Birthday 2022 Honours – the full list |url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/queen-s-birthday-2022-honours-the-full-list-20220609-p5askg.html |access-date=12 June 2022 |work=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=12 June 2022}}</ref> In 2024, de Bruyn was presented with an honorary degree by the Australian Catholic University.<ref name=":0" />
==References== {{reflist}}
{{s-start}} {{s-npo|union}} {{succession box|title=President of the UNI Global Union|years=2010–2014|before=Joseph T. Hansen|after=Ann Selin}} {{s-end}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:De Bruyn, Joe}} Category:1949 births Category:Australian people of Dutch descent Category:Australian trade unionists Category:Living people Category:Officers of the Order of Australia Category:University of Melbourne alumni