Ellen Cashman

Union official At age 24, Cashman was elected president of the Printing Trades Women and Girls' Union. She served in this role from 1915 until the union amalgamated to form the Printing Industry Employees' Union of Australia (PIUEU) in 1917. Following amalgamation, Cashman was elected secretary of the union's women and girls' advisory committee and remained in this role for almost 25 years.

Her role within the PIUEU often included public advocacy and appearing before the Commonwealth Court of Conciliation and Arbitration on wage and workers' rights cases.

She served on the PIUEU board of management and federal council, and was also a delegate to trade union congress, Labor Party conference, and the eight-hour association. She was the only woman to be appointed, and remained the only woman inspector throughout her tenure.

Cashman joined the Women’s Australian National Service (WANS) in 1940 and was a member of the New South Wales state board, assisting in mobilising and coordinating women newly employed in traditionally male-only roles as part of the war effort. While engaged with the WANS, Cashman was seconded to the newly formed Department of Labour and National Service to survey conditions in the clothing industry. She remained an arbitration inspector throughout the war. Although she was initially named to represent employers on the board, Cashman's appointment garnered criticism from employment groups including the Employers' Federation of New South Wales and the Associated Chamber of Manufacturers, fearing her union background made it impossible for her to serve in that capacity. In response to this criticism, the government changed her designation as the Commonwealth's representative on the board.

She resigned as arbitration inspector in 1952 following a period of ill health, however never fully retired and returned to her old job of printing on a casual basis.