The Australian Stevedoring Industry Authority was established under the Stevedoring Industry Act 1956 (Part II) which was proclaimed to commence on 14 August 1956 (Commonwealth Gazette, No. 46, 13 Aug 1956, p 2489). The Authority was to be made up of a Chairman, an employer representative and a trade union representative, and was to be a body corporate to regulate the performance of stevedoring operations.

The Stevedoring Industry Act (Termination) Act which came into operation on 5 December 1977 provided for the immediate transfer of most of the responsibilities and functions of the Authority to the Association of Employers of Waterside Labour (AEWL). The Act also provided for a transitional period, subsequently proclaimed in the Commonwealth Gazette to last from 5 December 1977 to 26 February 1978, during which the Authority was to function in a limited capacity and to wind up its operations. At the end of the transitional period all the assets and liabilities of the Authority were vested in the Stevedoring Industry Finance Committee which was established on 5 December 1977 by the Stevedoring Industry Finance Committee Act 1977.