Natalie Hull

My name is Natalie Hull, and I work as a professional staff member in the Library at UQ. I first joined the union because a couple of colleagues in the Library talked to me about joining. Joining the union made sense to me, we each care about looking out for and helping others and we can contribute our individual efforts together towards good for everyone in our workplace, a long-winded way of saying solidarity.

Over time, I saw delegates in our area step up in ways that really stayed with me. I watched them ask difficult questions of management, support staff who were being treated unfairly, and show a kind of steady, practical care that can make a huge difference. Seeing that in action inspired me to try to do the same and since then I have seen firsthand how these actions can create real, positive change for the people I work with. I value fairness, transparency, and decent working conditions and I’ve learned that these things aren’t guaranteed. They’re protected, fought for, and sometimes won only because people actively care and are willing to stand together.

For me, union membership is about caring for the people I work alongside. It’s about wanting a workplace that’s fair, safe, and respectful for everyone. And it’s about knowing that when more of us join, we’re not only protecting what we already have, we’re building the power to achieve better conditions for all of us that work here.