New Protection

1907 cartoon by George Dancey showing a "working man" sneaking a slice of "protection cake", as customs minister William Lyne watches on

The New Protection was an economic policy introduced by the Australian Government in the early 20th century, in the first decade after Federation in 1901. It made government support for industry – including tariff protection and relief from excise taxes – contingent on employers paying "fair and reasonable" wages.

In the Harvester case of 1907, Judge H. B. Higgins of the Commonwealth Court of Conciliation and Arbitration held that a "fair and reasonable" wage required a living wage. However, in R v Barger the High Court of Australia held that the Harvester Act contravened the constitutional limits on the federal government's taxation power.

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