This book is a study of the Australian Education Union (AEU), a federal organization of government schoolteachers in the states and territories of Australia. Founded in 1984 as the Australian Teachers Union, it became the AEU in 1993. By 1998, the AEU had grown to become the third largest trade union in Australian, with some 157,000 members. This book examines the internal and external behavior of the union during its first 15 years, 1984-98. In particular, it examines how the union has positioned itself in the changing federal industrial relations system and the emerging national education system. In nine chapters, the book focuses on the forerunners of the AEU and the origins of education trade unionism in Australia; the union's role in curriculum development, industrial relations reform, and the improved role of women and indigenous educators; and the political actions and influence of the AEU on the educational policy of the Australian federal government. Among its 130 references are serials, reports, briefs, and handbooks from Australian education organizations, including the AEU; published law reports from Australia's High Court; and published and unpublished decisions of the Australian Industrial Relations Commission. (Contains an index.) (WFA)