Jack Mundey

Jack Mundey (born 17 October 1929 in Malanda, Queensland) is an Australian union and environmental activist. He came to prominence during the 1970s for leading the New South Wales Builders' Labourers Federation (BLF) in the famous Green Bans, whereby the BLF led a successful campaign to protect the built and natural environment of Sydney from excessive and inappropriate development. Mundey is now Chair of the Historic Houses Trust of New South Wales.

Mundey was born on 17 October 1929 in Malanda 100 km west of Cairns on the Atherton Tableland in far north Queensland and was one of five children. His mother died when he was six. He was educated at Malanda Primary School and St Augustine's, Cairns, from which he ran away because of its "authoritarian methods" of discipline. Mundey moved to Sydney when he was 19, and became a metalworker and later a builder's labourer, joining successively the Federated Ironworkers' Association and the Builders Labourers Federation. He also played rugby league for Parramatta under Vic Hey for three years. He joined the Communist Party of Australia (CPA) in 1957.

Also in 1957 Jack married Stephanie and had a son, Michael. When Michael was 15 months old, Stephanie died of a cerebral tumour.

During the 1960s Mundey was a crusading unionist, and an advocate on a wide range of issues, from safety reforms on building sites to wider issues such as feminism, gay rights and international politics. Mundey considered all these matters appropriate targets for union activism. His second wife, Judy, joined him in these campaigns and later rose to become national president of the CPA.

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