On behalf of the all CSC alumni, we wish to express our condolences to the Barton family for the death of The Honourable Thomas Barton at the age of 74 last month. A CSC 1986 alumni, Tom had a long and distinguished career in the Australian Union movement and in the Queensland Parliament and played a significant role in shaping industrial relations policy and the Australian superannuation industry. Tom held many significant roles in the union movement and as a Trustee of several workers pension funds during the foundation years of the sector including:
- Secretary General of Trades & Labor Council of Queensland
- Member of the Australian Council of Trade Unions Executive
- Founding Director of Sunsuper, the largest multi-industry superannuation in Queensland which eventually grew to 1.3 million members and AUD $79b AUM as at its merger in 2022.
- Founding Director of the Queensland Investment Corporation a QLD Government owned multi-asset investment manager with AUD $91.3b AUM as of 2023.
- Chairman of the Electricity Industry Superannuation Funds.
- Trustee of Queensland Government employee superannuation funds State Super & GoSuper.
- Deputy Chairman of Office of Economic Development of the City of Brisbane (OED).
- President of the Queensland Industrial Relations Society & Australian Industrial Relations Society.
During Tom’s 15 years in the Queensland Parliament as the member for Waterford he held various Ministerial roles including being appointed as Minister for Environment and Heritage in 1995, the Minister for Police and Corrective Services in 1998, the Minister for State Development in 2001, and the Minister for Employment, Training and Industrial Relations in 2004 before retiring from Parliament in 2006.
The CSC Global Alumni community join with his friends and family in mourning his loss.