Welfare reform in the radical sixties

Lifeline's Lawrie Hayes came straight to the point in Desertion as a Financial Problem: "often the worker's time is wasted helping the family adjust to a totally inadequate income".

Social work graduate Graham Zerk of Children's Services followed the theme: "until the finances are corrected every other facet of the problem is grossly distorted".

Lawyer Michael Freney looked at Legal Aspects, Brisbane Gaol chaplain Rev Tom Scarlett Family Reactions, and psychiatrist Rod Milton Family Process.

After group discussion Jack Stoll, UQ Lecturer in Social Studies, reported more on Financial Aspects, lawyer Tom McCawley on Legal Angles, and sociologist Elizabeth Timms on Family and Social Issues. The core finding of the day remained the lack of cash for basic family needs, adding not only to serious personal consequences but also to long-term government expenditure.

Select Committee

On 5 December 1966 CSSQ set up a Select Committee on Deserted Wives to carry out a detailed study of the problems and arrive at concrete recommendations, with priority given to financial issues. Members were Lawrie Hayes, Elizabeth Timms, and convener Harry Throssell who had just arrived at

QueenslandUniversity's Social Work Department after a child welfare and psychiatry career in UK.

The Committee met three days later on 8 December 1966 then weekly.

The rights of the child

Deliberations were based on the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Children:

'The child, for the full, harmonious development of his personality needs love and understanding.He shall, where possible, grow up in the care and under the responsibility ofhis parents …in an atmosphere of affection and of moral and material security. A child of tender years shall not, save in exceptional circumstances, be separated from his mother… Public Authorities shall have the duty to extend particular care to children without a family and without adequate means of support. Payment of State and other assistance towards the maintenance of children of large families is desirable ...

'We regard as a matter for serious consideration that separation of a mother and her children can occur as a result of financial need alone, where it is neither psychologically nor socially desirable … it is society's responsibility to ensure external support for the family to cope with its problems as a family unit. The basic criterion for assistance is need, not … moral eligibility'.

Four categories of 'widow' were recognised: Parents married but father left home; father in prison; parents not legally married; mother a non-British migrant. Mothers and children in the first two groups were eligible for a Commonwealth widow's pension but not until the husband had been absent six months.

When the parents were not married legally the mother was not eligible for a pension on the grounds of desertion.

When the mother was a non-British migrant she could only be paid a widow's pension after residence in Australia of five years. During the first six months of marital separation family assistance could only be paid if the mother instigated proceedings for maintenance. Wives of prisoners were treated the same even though the authorities knew exactly why they were not athome.