Harold Souter

Early life Souter was born in Adelaide, South Australia to Harry Souter, a painter, and his wife Martha Standley. He attended Sturt Street Public School and later Adelaide Technical School, training as a fitter and turner.

In 1954, Souter was appointed as the ACTU's first ever research officer, a position that aimed to keep the trade union movement up-to-date on issues impacting working conditions, compile reports for publication and provide advice to union officials.

Souter was appointed acting secretary of the ACTU in 1956, following the death of the previous secretary, Reg Broadby. The campaign for the presidency was very strongly contested between the two camps, at times spilling over into public condemnation of each other. Despite losing the election for the presidency, Souter continued in his role as secretary and formed a positive working relationship with Hawke.

He served on a number of government boards and advisory committees, including the Australian Broadcasting Control Board (1974–75) and the Australian National Airlines Commission (1974–75). He retired from the ACTU in 1977 after a record 21 years as secretary. 26 January 1988 | Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) | For service to the trade union movement