[2] The ATWU represented Australian workers employed in the manufacture of textiles, including the spinning, weaving, dyeing and finishing of all types of fibres.
Later, the union also represented workers employed in manufacturing felt hatting.
[1] The ATWU was formed in 1919 following the deregistration of the General Textile Workers' Federation of Australia in the same year.
[2] In the 1970s and 1980s the number of workers employed in the Australian textile industry declined significantly due to automation, and increased competition from foreign goods, due to tariff reductions.
[2] This new body subsequently amalgamated with the Clothing and Allied Trades Union to form the Textile, Clothing and Footwear Union of Australia, which continues to represent workers in the Australian textile industry.