The Federated Australian University Staff Association was originally formed in 1962 as the Australian Association of University Staff as the successor to the Federal Council of University Staff Associations of Australia. It was registered as a trade union in December 1986 and was renamed two years later to FAUSA. It represented mainly academic staff in the traditional university sector. By 1993, however, FAUSA recognised the need to form a single, stronger union for the whole tertiary education industry. Merging with the Union of Australian College Academics, the Australian Colleges and Universities Staff Association, the University of Adelaide General Staff Association and the Australian National University Administrative and Allied Officers' Association, FAUSA helped form the National Tertiary Education Industry Union. The NTEU provided a united voice for tertiary education workers, without the arbitrary divisions between different parts of the industry or different categories of workers.

The Federal Council of University Staff Associations of Australia was a national body formed in 1952 which became the Australian Association of University Staff in 1962 and later was named the Federated Australian University Staff Association. This successor body registered as a trade union in December 1986.