On 24 December 1919 Electrical Trades Union of Australia federally re-registered under the Commonwealth Conciliation and Arbitration Act 1904 as an association of employees.

[3] In 2007, the ETU leader Dean Mighell was expelled from the Australian Labor Party for supporting the Greens during the federal election.

[6][7] Traditionally the ETU has sided with the Labor Left or equivalent faction in the state branches of the ALP with the notable exception of the ACT and NSW, where it aligns with the respective Centre Coalition and Centre Unity (Labor Right) factions.

[citation needed] It enjoys a close relationship there with the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association (SDA) and the Australian Workers Union (AWU).

[8] In November 2019, the ETU ceased donations to the federal Labor party over Anthony Albanese supporting free trade agreements.