Resettlement Schemes

The rehabilitation and resettlement of soldiers during the Great War period was termed ‘repatriation’ by the government - returning soldiers needed to be reintegrated into the economy, and assistance given to wounded and disabled soldiers who were unable to work due to their injuries or state of health. Initially, the government acted by updating pension legislation to cover disabled soldiers, and a Discharged Soldiers’ Settlement Act was established to allow the state to purchase land for resale to returning servicemen. Veterans could then buy cheap farms, through allocation or by land ballot. Later through a Repatriation Department and district repatriation boards, apprenticeships were offered, vocational and on-the-job training subsidised, and employment sought for veterans. Cheap business loans were provided, as were loans for tools, equipment and furniture.

However limited in concept and badly co-ordinated, support for the veterans of the war was not sustained. After only 4 years of existence the Repatriation Department was disestablished in late 1922. The land settlement scheme suffered from land speculation, and much of the land that was settled was marginally productive. In 1929 a Commission into the Circumstances of Disabled Ex-Soldiers was established to inquire into the condition of disabled ex-servicemen and consider the adequacy of provisions made by the government for their welfare. If government provisions were not adequate, the Commission was to comment on what policies should be followed and by what means these policies should be administered. The Commission recommended modifications of some pension schemes and the formation of a Soldiers' Civil Re-establishment League to ensure that veterans were taken care of