The Green Bans of The Rocks

Historic black-and-white photograph of 1970s Green Bans movement gathering in The Rocks precinct.
Tour Details
  • Duration: 90 minutes
  • Availability: Daily
  • Meeting Location: Rocks Square
  • Fitness Level: Basic, Moderate
  • Units: Changing Place, The Rise of the Environmental Movement
  • Key Learning Areas: Geography, History
  • Program: Secondary School
  • Student Outcomes: HT4-1 – HT4-10, GE4-1 - 8 , HT5-1; HT5-10, GE5-1; GE5-2; GE5-3; GE5-4
  • Years: 9,10 and 11
  • Group Size: 30 students per group
  • Stages: 5 & 6, Year's 9, 10 & 11, 5 and 6, Stage: 3, Year's 5 & 6, Year's 5 & 8

The Rocks Australia History

The Green Ban movement grew out of trade union action in the 1970s and The Rocks became an important area of confrontation for the local residents supported in their protest by equally concerned union and community leaders.

Let the story of the people’s conservation campaign against the NSW Government’s proposed redevelopment of this area and displacement of residents. People power and the imposition of union green bans became a powerful force in this early protest movement.

Additional details about the tour

The Green Bans Tour explores a pivotal moment in Australia’s social and environmental history, using The Rocks as a real-world case study of people power, heritage conservation and urban change. Designed for Stage 5 Geography and Stage 6 History students, the tour examines how community action challenged large-scale redevelopment during the 1960s and 1970s.
Students investigate the Green Ban movement, led by the NSW Builders Labourers’ Federation under figures such as Jack Mundey, and consider why trade unions took the unprecedented step of refusing work to protect historic buildings and working-class communities. Through guided discussion on site, students explore changing attitudes to heritage, housing and development, and the social consequences of urban renewal.
The tour places these events within their broader historical context, including post-war growth, rising property values and the emergence of resident action groups. Students are encouraged to analyse cause and effect, assess differing perspectives, and identify the lasting impacts of the Green Bans visible in The Rocks today.
By engaging directly with the landscape, students gain a deeper understanding of environmental activism, civic participation and the power of collective action in shaping Australian cities

The Green Bans Tour explores a pivotal moment in Australia’s social and environmental history, using The Rocks as a real-world case study of people power, heritage conservation and urban change. Designed for Stage 5 Geography and Stage 6 History students, the tour examines how community action challenged large-scale redevelopment during the 1960s and 1970s.

Students investigate the Green Ban movement, led by the NSW Builders Labourers’ Federation under figures such as Jack Mundey, and consider why trade unions took the unprecedented step of refusing work to protect historic buildings and working-class communities. Through guided discussion on site, students explore changing attitudes to heritage, housing and development, and the social consequences of urban renewal.

The tour places these events within their broader historical context, including post-war growth, rising property values and the emergence of resident action groups. Students are encouraged to analyse cause and effect, assess differing perspectives, and identify the lasting impacts of the Green Bans visible in The Rocks today.

By engaging directly with the landscape, students gain a deeper understanding of environmental activism, civic participation and the power of collective action in shaping Australian cities

Historic black-and-white photograph of 1970s Green Bans movement gathering in The Rocks precinct.

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