Introduction

The burden of capitalism in crisis is borne by those who possess insufficient financial reserves to cope with a prolonged disruption of income. In the 1930s a number of socio-economic groups found themselves in this critical position including farmers in marginal areas, unskilled workers in cities, small-scale urban businessmen and females and youths without family support. As the months passed, growing numbers of individuals and households were drawn into the vortex of poverty from which many were unable to escape until the end of the decade. And as the scale of poverty increased, the remedial response of the Australian community changed radically.

With growing unemployment, the response of the Australian community passed through a number of stages: initially the unemployed attempted to maintain earlier consumption patterns by drawing on their savings (Butlin, Hall & White 1971); with the exhaustion of these reserves, many families were forced out of their homes and into substandard accommodation in urban slums or temporary dwellings in the bush where they survived by fishing, hunting and gardening (Bolton 1972, pp. 186–217); private charity, which was made available from the first to those who were unable to help themselves, was soon stretched beyond its limits (Dickey 1980, pp. 157–63); and as the problem overwhelmed privately-organized relief, local and State governments reluctantly provided food relief, sustenance payments and, finally, relief works on a large scale.