AUSTRALIAN BUDGET

Greymouth Evening Star, 30 November 1940, Page 7

AUSTRALIAN BUDGET

GOVT.’S CRITICAL POSITION. [by CABLE.—PRESS ASSN. —COPYRIGHT.] CANBERRA, November 29. The Menzies Government faces defeat next week unless it can obtain the support of the Victorian Independent member, Mr Wilson, whose attitude on the Budget at present is hostile. Mr Menzies stated last night that he intended to treat Mr Curtin’s amendment as one of no-confidence. It is expected that the new member for Kalgoorlie, Mr Johnson, who won the by-election there recently for Labour, making the parties in the House of Representatives again equal, will attend the sittings next week, making the Government’s fate dependent on Mr Wilson. The impression in political circles is that Mr Menzies will make some concessions on the Budget and that a crisis will be avoided.

N.S.W. TAX RELIEF SYDNEY, November 28. The ■ New South Wales Assembly has set itself the task of relieving the taxation burden. The Treasurer, Mr. Richardson, introduced a Bill tonight to reduce by one million the unemployment tax affecting over seven hundred thousand persons. The net result to the'average wage-earn-ers will be the saving of only abbut sixpence per week. The Labour Members described'the Bill as “an election stunt.”