[2] The Chamber of Manufactures of New South Wales was then established with the inaugural meeting in August 1885 at Sydney Town Hall in which the rules and regulations were adopted and Archibald Forsyth was elected its first president.

The Chamber got off to an initial slow start with its primary supporters focusing most of their efforts on tariff policy lobbying, especially in setting up a "Protection Union", in direct opposition to the "Free Traders" led by Sir Henry Parkes.

The Chamber abandoned the idea of partisan political lobbying and adopted a position of a non-political organisation which has continued to the present day.

[3] The insurance company arm was established primarily to indemnify employers against claims that might be made by their employees who were injured at work, and was in direct response to the new Workmen's Compensation Act of 1910.

In 1995, the Chamber of Manufactures of NSW broke its tie with MMI, selling its shares of the company and changing its name to Australian Business Limited.