Scott Cowen
Employee Representative Director
For more than two decades, Scott Cowen spent Tuesday nights playing the Eb bass in a South Australian community brass band. It’s a type of tuba that sits between the very lowest instruments and the rest of the band, filling in the notes that link the foundations to the tune.
As a senior leader in the trade union movement, Scott sees his role in much the same way: connecting workers’ everyday concerns with national priorities and helping the union’s voice hold together as one.
Early lessons in fairness
“I grew up in a political household,” says Scott. “Politics was always discussed around the dinner table, and there were different political views within the family.
“I remember my mum attending a rally to save our local kindergarten, even though my brother and I no longer went there. She joined other parents marching to the local MP’s office. Some questioned why she cared, but she knew how essential that place had been for our family and still was for other families.”
That experience stayed with Scott. The act of standing up for others, not for personal gain, left a lasting impression.
This early grounding was further sharpened at university.
Scott was one of only a few students from his school to go on to the University of Adelaide. Before he started, his school principal told him: “When you walk through those gates, you deserve to be there as much as anyone.”
At seventeen, he took that at face value. By the end of first year, he understood its deeper meaning. University exposed him to the realities of privilege and class, reshaping his worldview.
“It convinced me that people in positions of influence have a responsibility to challenge inequality rather than accept it as inevitable,” says Scott.
That conviction drew him into campus politics, a brief stint as a political staffer, and eventually into the trade union movement, building on his early experience as a worksite rep while working at Woolworths.
Union leadership and a national role
Scott joined the Australian Services Union (ASU) SA and NT branch in 2015 as an Industrial Officer before being elected Assistant Secretary for the branch in 2018.
In June 2025, he was elected Assistant National Secretary at the ASU, representing 135,000 members across industries as diverse as local government, energy, and IT.
“A common factor impacting all our members is AI,” Scott says. He sees the government’s national AI plan as an important first step, but not enough.
“We’re already supporting energy workers through a Just Transition to net zero. Now we need a Digital Just Transition that will do the same for AI.
“We want all workers to have access to AI tools that make their jobs better; funding for national AI training programs; strong safeguards to ensure AI helps, not replaces, employees; and updated award classifications with pay rates that recognise human skills such as judgement and teamwork.”
Scott points to the success of ASU’s own AI training for members, ‘Practical Ways to Use AI in Everyday Life.’ He also highlights how FSO is developing skill sets that are essential across a wide range of occupations, with a focus on digital, AI, and cyber capabilities, as well as core human employability skills.
“Without action, there’s a risk that the benefits of AI will flow to employers, while workers are left with the displacement and stress. We need clear steps to ensure this doesn’t happen,” he adds.
Leadership beyond the union
Scott’s dedication to social justice extends beyond his union role. He volunteered with The Pinnacle Foundation, which supports young LGBTQIA+ Australians to overcome challenges, achieve their potential, and give back to their communities.
“The scholarships offered by the foundation can have a transformative impact on the lives of LGBTQIA+ young people and wider society,” he says.
Scott also serves as a Board Director of Electric Super, an energy industry superannuation fund, and previously sat on the management committee of the Australian Labour and Employment Relations Association of SA.
While his working week no longer includes band rehearsals, Scott keeps his Eb bass close, a reminder that strong movements, like strong ensembles, are built on listening, balance, and shared purpose.
3 quick-fire questions
What’s the best advice you’ve been given?
‘It never hurts if they think you’re a little bit crazy.’ A quote from my mentor, the late Linda White, a prominent Australian union leader.
A simple thing that makes you happy?
Early morning exercise. Set the alarm early, do the 6.00am class and then the whole day is yours.
A book or a podcast that you’re reading or listening to currently.
‘After the Tampa’ by Abbas Nazari. It tells the true story of a young boy and his family fleeing Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, surviving a dangerous sea journey, their involvement in the 2001 Tampa crisis, then starting a new life in New Zealand.