Australia to 1914

We will explore the following questions What was life like in Australia at the turn of the century? How and why did Federation occur? What were the voting rights of various groups in Australia at Federation? How and why was the Immigration Restriction Act of 1901 introduced?

Key Terms century working conditions Federation Australian Constitution Immigration Restriction Act 1901 Social Legislation Harvester Judgement Using your textbook add to the key terms list. Continue to add to this list during the unit of work. Refer to this list while writing answers to questions.

Source Work From each slide list down key points Divide your page into 4 columns using the following headings: Life and working conditions in Australia Life and working conditions of manual labour workers Working conditions for Women and Children A new era of working conditions

Life and Working Conditions in Australia harsh, dangerous and unsanitary compared with today's standards. Australia had a reputation throughout the 19th century as the ‘working man's paradise.' This reputation was based on the adoption of the eight-hour day and other benefits which were inconceivable in Europe.

The life and working conditions of manual labour workers For Australia's manual labourers, work was tough. Their working experiences were typified by uncomfortable and dangerous conditions, low pay and long hours. They worked in areas which required physical labour such as the building and construction trade, or the mechanical and maintenance industry. Manual labourers are usually of the working class. The middle class are typically white-collar or professional workers who tend to undertake less physical work and receive a higher salary

Most manual labourers in the cities worked in factories. The factories were quite often poorly ventilated, without basic amenities, overcrowded and often reached over 40 degrees Celsius in summer, while being cold and damp in winter. At the turn of the century, factories were very dangerous places. It was not uncommon for injuries to result from faulty machinery and a lack of safety equipment or protective clothing, which are mandatory at factory sites today.

Factory workers also had to work long hours. Rather than today's average working week of 40 hours, most people worked ten-hour days for six days of the week. Some even had to work overtime without being entitled to any extra pay

Despite these adverse conditions, workers were too scared to complain out of fear of being dismissed from their job. It was also a common belief at the time that it was the responsibility of the men to provide for their families (breadwinner). In addition to this, having experienced the Depression of the 1890s, many of these workers knew that life could be even more difficult if they were unemployed. Unlike today where the unemployed are able to access dole money from the government, there was no similar scheme available at that time. There was also no workers compensation for those who were injured at work, no sick leave or superannuation for retirement.

Manual labourers in rural Australian did not fare much better. A vast number of manual labourers in the rural sector were sheep shearers. Although wool had been a major component of Australia's export industry since the 1870s, the shearers went undervalued. They usually had to shear 100 sheep just to earn £1 ($2) and if their work was not to the satisfaction of their employer, then he might withhold their wages. The shearers also had to endure unsanitary and vermin-infested conditions in the shearing sheds and at the accommodation which was provided for them.

Working conditions for women and children The work of most women involved attending to their household duties and looking after their young children who were not of school age, while their husbands were at work. For those women and children who did enter the workforce, they belonged to Australia's working class. They had to endure similar working conditions to the men, except they did so with much less pay. Women received a wage 50 percent less than their male counterparts.

Women were often employed as domestic servants. Some of them enjoyed their jobs and were treated fairly by the families for whom they worked. A number of them, however, had a heavy workload and some were even taken advantage of by their male employers.

Some women were also employed in the service industry. While shop assistants did not have to engage in any arduous physical labour, their hours were exceptionally long. On weekdays they had to work from 9am to 9pm, with hours extended until 11pm on Saturday

Working-class children were also expected to help out the family by gaining employment. The majority of them left school at the age of twelve, but there were some children as young as eight who were working in a number of trades, such as textiles and boot factories. Children worked up to 60-hour weeks and were paid around 2-3 pence (2c) an hour. This was approximately half the wage a woman received. Factory owners were keen to exploit children as cheap labour. Cheaper labour meant a greater profit.

A new era for Australian workers Rights related to working conditions, safety in the workplace, weekly working hours and wages all progressed around the turn of the century. They did not, however, all come at once and were often only extended to workers within certain industries. Despite this, it represented the beginning of a new era where employees were entitled to rights and employers had a greater responsibility to their workers.

Improvements in the workplace were partly achieved through the efforts of workers who had begun, as early as the 1830s, to form unions (trade unions) which were beginning to gain momentum. The workers were so confident that their unions had become strong enough to seek action for unfair treatment and wages on their behalf, that they initiated a number of strikes throughout the 1890s.

The concept of an eight-hour day was established in Australia halfway through the 19th century after an ultimatum from the Stonemason's Society. While they achieved their goal, they did so at the expense of a wage reduction. They did, however, lead the way for revolutionary reforms for workers. The Factories and Shops Act 1896 (NSW) enabled working environments to be officially inspected. In 1904 the Court of Conciliation and Arbitration was established by the federal government to settle disputes between employees and employers.

In 1907, the basic wage case resulted in the decision of 42 shillings ($4.20) per week as the base amount that would provide for an adult male employee and his wife and family (three children). Many have suggested that this decision was flawed because women remained entitled to only 54 percent of the man's wage. This disparity remained unchanged for the next seven years despite a 25 percent rise in prices. It does need to be recognised, however, that these early advances led the way for the workers' rights of today.

Source Activity Find a source to support your notes under each column. For each source identify the usefulness an purpose of each source.