Life In Australia 1901 to 1914

Agriculture and manufacturing were driving a prosperous Australian economy in 1914.... more

by Miroslava Jurcik

Title

Life In Australia 1901 to 1914

Artist

Miroslava Jurcik

Medium

Photograph

Description

Agriculture and manufacturing were driving a prosperous Australian economy in 1914.
The pastoral industry was at the centre of economic activity and exports were increasing as slower sailing ships were replaced by coal-burning steam ships.
Life between 1901 and 1914. The basic wage for Australians was 8 shillings a day. That's about $43 in today's money.
In some cities, the rent for a three-bedroom house with a kitchen was 12 shillings ($65) a week, and general expenses (not including food and rent) were about 14 shillings ($75) per week.
According to the New South Wales Industrial Court, the "living wage" for a family of four was 48 shillings ($232) a week.
Australia's 1911 Census recorded the population as 4,455,005 with the median age of 24 years old.
Australia enjoyed a high level of literacy, with 96 per cent of the recorded population older than five able to read.
Many children from working class families had to leave school before the age of 12 to do a trade.
The states had different education systems. In New South Wales, children between 6 and 14 were required at school for at least 140 days a year.
In 1912, Queensland started to set up free high schools for some students. General, commercial and domestic science courses were offered.
For over 100 years, from the 1840s to the 1950s, the Australian economy was seen to be ‘riding on the sheep's back'. Agriculture, especially wool, established Australia as a thriving economy with a substantial workforce, service industries and large port cites.
There have been many changes in farming methods over the last 200 years and Australian farmers have had to be adaptable as well as resilient and inventive. The challenges of access to fresh water, the legacy of high amounts of fertilisers, massive clearing, over grazing, a tyranny of distance, transport costs and feral animals, have tested Australian farmers to their limits.
Also rabbit proof fences has to be establish as rabbit made some land into deserts, eating all the vegetation.
The now-extinct Tasmanian tiger was hunted out of existence in the early 1900s for killing Australian farmers' sheep.
Also pensions were establish for people over 65 for the aged and also for the disabled. Before that it was responsibility of the family.
In 1900, New South Wales passed the Old-Aged Pensions Act 1900 (NSW) which provided payment of £26 ($52) per year to eligible residents over 65 years old. After Federation was reached in 1901, the Commonwealth passed the Invalid and Old Aged Pensions Act 1908 (Cth). It initially paid an aged pension of £26 to those over 65 years, who had lived in the Commonwealth for more than 25 years, were of good character and passed means and assets tests.
The disability pension came into effect in 1910 and paid those over 16 years who were totally and permanently incapacitated to work, the same amount as the aged pension. Like the aged pension, recipients were also subject to means and assets testing, and residency requirements (but only of five years). Both pensions could not be claimed by non-residents, the Indigenous peoples of Australia, Asians and Indigenous peoples from the Pacific Islands, New Zealand and Africa.

Uploaded

August 3rd, 2017