The Australian Education Union was formed in 1993 from the Australian Teachers Union. Members of the union work in public schools, colleges, early childhood and vocational settings in all states and territories of Australia. Members include teachers and allied educational staff, principals and administrators mainly in government school and TAFE systems.

Teachers' unions in South Australia began in 1885 with the formation of the Adelaide Teachers' Association. The Country Teachers' Association formed in 1887 and the two merged in 1887 to become the South Australian Teachers' Association. This association split in 1936 into the South Australian Public Teachers' Union and the South Australian Women Teachers' Guild. These separate organisations remained apart until 1951 when teachers voted to form a single representative body called the South Australian Institute of Teachers [SAIT]. SAIT covered all teachers and school assistants in the State's primary schools, pre-schools and secondary schools, as well as teachers in the fields of further education and non-government schools. SAIT became the South Australian branch of the Australian Education Union in 1993.