Claim: From November 1896, The Australian Worker, which was jointly funded by the Wagga branches of the Amalgamated Shearers' Union of Australasia (an early Australian trade union, formed in January 1887) and the General Workers' Union, went from weekly to fortnightly, then in February, 1897 ceased altogether, but it resumed in reduced size on 31 August 1897, operated by the Bourke Branch of the AWU and with artwork generously provided by its Queensland counterpart.
Evidence: The paper was jointly funded by the Wagga branches of the Amalgamated Shearers' Union of Australasia and the General Workers' Union, which merged in 1894 to form the Australian Workers' Union. From November 1896 publication went from weekly to fortnightly, then in February, 1897 ceased altogether. Publication resumed in a reduced size on 31 August 1897, operated by the Bourke Branch of the AWU and with artwork generously provided by its Queensland counterpart. The Amalgamated Shearers' Union of Australasia was an early Australian trade union. It was formed in January 1887 with the amalgamation of the Wagga Shearers Union and Bourke Shearers Union in New South Wales with the Victorian-based Australian Shearers' Union, with William Spence as president and David Temple as secretary.