The Mining And Energy Union Podcast
The Mining & Energy Union fights for our members in coal and metals mining and power generation around Australia. Our members work hard, play a crucial role in Australia’s economy, support their communities and have a proud tradition of standing up for safety and workers’ rights.
Hosted by Tim Brunero, this podcast features news, interviews, historical features and inside stories keeping you up to the minute with our activities, challenges and successes - as well as the stories from our past that form the bedrock of what the union is today.
- Update frequency
- every 27 days
- Average duration
- 18 minutes
- Episodes
- 67
- Years Active
- 2020 - 2025
Helensburgh miners chalk up two wins
Why is a 130-year-old coal mine back in the news? Miners at Metropolitan mine in Helensburgh have been chalking up the wins this month, securing a strong new EA despite being locked out by their boss…
00:10:47 |
Tue 26 Aug 2025
BHP win is worth $30,000 to 2,300 miners
BHP’s been told! The Fair Work Commission has ruled its labour hire rort is over and it needs to cough up the $30,000 per person it’s been dudding ‘Operations Services’ workers at its Peak Downs, Sar…
00:11:24 |
Wed 23 Jul 2025
How do you become a union legend like Bob Hawke?
Bob Hawke could scull a beer faster than anyone on the planet, he also gave us Medicare. But when he was a union advocate what was so special about him people wanted him to be Prime Minister? We find…
00:15:50 |
Thu 03 Jul 2025
‘Big’ Dan Repacholi on burgers and putting cash in miner’s wallets
Where do you find the best burgers in the Hunter? ‘Big’ Dan Repacholi shares his favourite haunts and talks about the pride he feels when miners tell him about the tens of thousands of dollars of ext…
00:13:29 |
Mon 14 Apr 2025
Baby On Board
Planning or expecting a new baby in your family? It can be extra challenging to juggle new parenthood with shift work like mining. In this episode, we talk to operator Rebecca and MEU lawyer Eliza ab…
00:14:11 |
Wed 26 Mar 2025
What to do if the boss calls you into the office
It can be intimidating to be called into the boss’s office. It’s usually not for a pat on the back. Knowing your rights and having a solid game plan can make all the difference to getting a fair outc…
00:15:21 |
Mon 24 Feb 2025
How convicts made Australia fair
Crims, rebels, troublemakers. It might be time to re-think some of the characters sent to Australia from Britain in the 1800s. It turns out most convicts weren’t criminals, they were political activi…
00:19:01 |
Mon 13 Jan 2025
Delegates rights get a shot in the arm
Find out how new laws passed by the Albanese government strengthen union delegates’ rights including paid training, support to communicate with members on site and the ability to speak up for members…
00:11:00 |
Tue 17 Dec 2024
Same Job Same Pay - Cash Hits Wallets
$33,000, $26,000, $20,000: these are just some of the parcels of extra cash arriving in the wallets of MEU members across the nation on November 1st - the day the Albanese government’s ‘Same Job, Sam…
00:10:39 |
Thu 14 Nov 2024
Much loved Mayor runs in Queensland election
Love is not a word you probably associate with your local Mayor. But there’s alot of love for Mayor Anne Baker. She pumped $400 million into the Bowen Basin including for the new Moranbah Hospital, a…
00:07:58 |
Fri 18 Oct 2024
Iron ore miners finally get a say
Until now, members mining iron ore at BHP’s hot, dusty sites in the Pilbara haven’t had much say in their pay and conditions. But thanks to years of work by the Western Mine Workers Alliance they’ve …
00:18:39 |
Sun 29 Sep 2024
Medicinal cannabis and the workplace
Cannabis can be prescribed to you by a doctor and over 600,000 Aussies are using it to treat medical conditions. But how are employers responding to use of cannabis products in high risk workplaces, …
00:32:51 |
Tue 03 Sep 2024
How do we stop workplace accidents?
One accident at work is one too many. But how do we make it to zero? One bloke who knows almost everything there is to know about workplace safety is Emeritus Professor Michael Quinlan. He says there…
00:27:38 |
Thu 25 Jul 2024
First win under new ‘Same Job, Same Pay’ laws
There are 27 pretty happy coal miners at the Mt Pleasant open cut in the Hunter Valley, they’re the 1st workers in the country to get a pay rise thanks to the Albanese Government's new ‘Same Job, Sam…
00:11:58 |
Mon 24 Jun 2024
How iron ore train drivers are rebuilding workers’ power in the Pilbara
Train drivers at BHP’s iron ore division in The Pilbara are celebrating - they’ve just signed a great deal - but it’s been a long dusty road. And they had to threaten strike action to make the compan…
00:17:30 |
Fri 10 May 2024
Meet the man who shook up unionism 100 years ago
Coal miner Tom Mann was the Taylor Swift of unionists - he toured the world getting involved in union blues - like in Broken Hill where he was arrested helping miners in their fight against BHP. Phil…
00:49:20 |
Tue 09 Apr 2024
How to protect yourself from dust disease
Since the re-emergence of Black Lung disease in Queensland in 2015 the MEU has fought for improvements to legislation and industry practice. A recent conference in Cairns discussed what more can be d…
00:36:53 |
Wed 27 Mar 2024
Applications underway, find out how Same Job Same Pay works
The Callide open cut mine near Biloela is where the union will road test the Albanese Government’s new Same Job Same Pay provisions in the Closing The Loopholes Bill passed just before Christmas. Wh…
00:12:17 |
Mon 18 Mar 2024
What’s it like to work 50 years at the same mine?
Mining can be a life-long career - sure - but how many coal miners notch up a half century? And how many rack up that 50 years at the same mine? Robert ‘Macca’ MacPherson has been presented with the …
00:17:14 |
Mon 26 Feb 2024
Miner vs Miner fight night
Would you watch 24 miners box each other to raise money for a mate injured at work? Yes? Well plenty of people agree with you, the recent ‘Mates in Mining Fight Night’ in Cessnock was sold out weeks …
00:11:47 |
Mon 18 Dec 2023
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