LABOUR'S PROPOSALS

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 50, 27 August 1925, Page 3

LABOUR'S PROPOSALS

FOR UNEMPLOYED INSURANCE NEW SOFIH WALES BILL. (FROM OCR OWN CORRESPONDENT.) SYDNEY, 21st August. The Labour Governments in power in some of the Australian States are venturing into the field of idealistic politic*. Recently the Queensland Government announced ita intention of introducing a child, endowment measure by which the large families of the State would be helped by grants from the State Treasury. Now the newly-elected Government in New South Wales is bidding for popular favour with two measure, designed in one instance to help widows, and in the other to assist unemployed. Information is being obtained with a view to drafting Bills to effect these proposals, both of which were promises made by Mr. Lang in his policy speech. Naturally finance is the important feature of both proposals, and it is finance that might prevent the Labour Party from giving full effect to ita desires. Mr. Lang, however, is convinced that he will be able to find the money necessary to pay widows' pensions, as he estimates that the number of womeii who would be entitled to such pensions would be much lower than the number estimated by his opponents. The suggested pension ie at present £1 per week, with allowances to widows with children. It is the unemployed insurance proposal that is regardea in trade union circles as the most important of the measures forecasted by the Premier in his policy speech. It is the present intention of the Ministry to frame a Bill that will provide sustenance allowance for bonafide unemployed after, _ay, six months' residence in the State. The Ministry has not decided what the amount will be, but the Labour Party wants tho following ccale:— Unmarried males or females, widowers and widows, 25s per week each. Male workers supporting a wife arid family. £2 10s per -week. Childrpn under sixteen years of age, supported by a male worker, 6s. per week each. An unemployment insurance fund will probably be created and will be controlled by the Treasury. The fund will be established principally from contributions from the workers and the employers, and probably a contribution from the State funds. Every worker over a specified age whose wage or salary is governed by an award of the Court will be called upon to contribute. Provisions will bo inserted in the measure safeguarding the fund from persons who are unwilling to accept work when offered to them ; It will also be provided that persons will not be eligible to receive sustenance allowance if it be proved that he or she became unemployed solely by his or her own fault. Old-acre pensioners probably will also be excluded from the provisions of the Act.