I move the amendment standing in my name:—
New Section. Before Section 4 to insert a new section as follows:—
"4. No pension or superannuation received from a trade union or friendly society shall be taken into consideration when determining the means of an applicant for a pension."
It does not require many words to explain this amendment. I referred to the matter on the second Reading of the Bill. It appears to me that it is the one outstanding point that is necessary to make the Old Age Pensions Act what we all desire it should be. As I stated on the Second Reading, the old craft unions before ever an Old Age Pensions Act was introduced had an arrangement whereby their members paid, from their early apprenticeship, a contribution sufficient to qualify them for what was known as a superannuation allowance in their old age. That meant that after a certain number of years' continuous membership when a man was past his labour, instead of going on the outdoor relief, he had provision made for him by the trade union. Sometimes these men had been contributing for fifty years to qualify for this superannuation allowance. The amount varied. It was given when a man was past his labour, generally when a man was between 65 and 70. The amount varied from 10/- to 15/-. The passing of the Old Age Pensions Act altered the whole equilibrium of the scheme of trade union superannuation. The Old Age Pensions Act allowed a man 10/- per week if his income did not exceed a certain small amount. The result was that the trade union deducted the amount of the superannuation allowance from the amount that the man was entitled to receive in addition to the 10/-. In reality what it means is that you are depriving these old men of 4/- per week because the trade union will not continue to pay this extra amount if it is deducted by the State. You are depriving these people of something they have paid for all their lives, something they are entitled to receive. That is the purport of the amendment. I do not think I need say anything further in favour of it so I formally move the amendment.