[3] This union had been formed in 1910,[4][5] launched on 9 September of that year in the Sydney Trades Hall by Harold Mercer[6] (1882–1952), also known as Harold St Aubyn, a prolific writer who was involved in the creation of 28 new unions in total.
[7] On 18 May 1992 it amalgamated with Actors' Equity and the Australian Theatrical and Amusement Employees' Association to create the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance.
[11] However this organisation was dubbed a "fake union", with ties to TNT Radio (an internet radio outlet whose focus is fringe topics and conspiracy theories,[12] including anti-vaccination misinformation), which had also provided A$50,000 to the Kennedy Awards.
[10] This new AJA had appropriated the name, but was in fact created by Journalists First Inc., a small group of conservative political operatives based in Queensland.
In May 2022 the Kennedy Foundation cut its ties with this AJA, in a move welcomed by the MEAA.