Canberra Debate On Unemployment

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28524, 1 March 1958, Page 13

Canberra Debate On Unemployment

CANBERRA, February 28. The Australian Government should study the plans announced by President Eisenhower to combat American unemployment, the Leader of the Federal Opposition (Dr. H. V. Evatt) said in the House of Representatives last night. Dr. Evatt, in a 45-minute speech during the Address-in-Reply debate, criticised the Government’s employment, housing, migration, and credit policies. He moved an amendment to the Government’s motion replying to the speech made by the Governor-General (Sir William . Slim) at the opening of Parliament last Tuesday. Dr. Evatt’s amendment claimed that the Government had failed to realise “the urgent necessity of putting into effect positive policies and measures,” aimed at preventing unemployment and securing full employment; building sufficient homes; immediate and substantial reduction in the migrant intake until “serious deficiencies present in the existing programme” were removed; the provision by the Federal Government of funds to State and local governments for public works, housing, roads, schools, hospitals and public health services; and an effective defence administration and organisation. Dr. Evatt said that the growth of unemployment had earned stringent comment from newspapers which generally gave substantial support to the Government. Government Aim “My complaint is that the Government does not aim at full employment” Dr. Evatt said. “I admit that the Government y aims at high levels of employment under very prosperous conditions. “But it is the right of every man and woman to obtain a job. and the Government’s duty is to plan and legislate for that. “The correct approach to the problem was that the unemployment of any Australian or newly arrived immigrant constituted a threat to everyone in Australia,

he said. “It appears to us that the Government’s action is grossly inadequate to meet the position,” Dr Evatt said. “It is a bad situation, not yet tragic, but it has been allowed to drift. U.S. Policy “In the United States, President Eisenhower has announced a practical policy to prevent unemployment, of home building, slum clearance, faster placing of defence contracts, increased public works, boosting exports, the reduction of credit restriction and interest rates.” said Dr. Evatt. Dr Evatt said that the Labour Party felt that the migrant intake must be certainly reviewed at once. It was impossible to find out how many migrants were among the unemployed, but it

appeared about half .the 75,000 people out of. a job were immigrants. It was “silly” for the Government to select an intake number then claim that this flow could not be regulated or reduced, Dr. Evatt said. “In the view of the Labour Party, the present intake is excessive and restriction must be imposed on that number immediately. “You may be able to get back to a higher intake in better times but you just cannot let the pres ent position drift on,” Dr. Evatt said. British Migrants Dr. Evatt said that he had never heard "such misleading, false' statements” as those made by the Government on the percentage of migrants from Britain. For years the Government had been giving out a figure of 50 per cent. British, but it had been revealed that the proportion was only 34 per cent. For the last year, the proportion would be only about 24 per cent.. Dr. Evatt said. The British Prime Minister (Mr Macmillan), at the end of his Australian visit, had revealed the contribution the British people could make to migration if they could get good conditions in Australia, Dr. Evatt said. The Minister for Air (Mr Frederick Osborne) said in reply that the Government could claim with justice that it believed in full employment because full employment had been substantially achieved in the eight years of the Government being in office. Sympathy with the unemployed should not blind people ,to the fact that last month the unem ployment rate was only .4 per cent, higher than in January, 1957, he said. Increased Consumption

Mr Osborne said that the increase was hardly calamitous, when measured against the fall in .overseas commodity prices, and the severe drought in Queensland and New South Wales. The consumption of beer, cigarettes, and tobacco was increasing. More and more television sets were being licensed, motor vehicle registrations were higher than before, industrial productivity was increasing, and business investment was high, he said. These factors, and the stock exchange, which was a reliable guide, did not indicate approaching calamity, or even a fall in public confidence.

But the Labour Party looked for calamity for political purposes in an election’year, and was doing its utmost to create a fall in business confidence, Mr Osborne said The Government had foreseen a slight down-turn in the nation’s economy .and had acted swiftly as long ago as May last to correct it “The Government has in fact given a cautious lift to its economy,” Mr Osborne said.