ABSTRACT
While the Liberal Party in federal opposition might talk about contributory schemes of social welfare benefit, the political changes brought about by the arguments over conscription allowed the resurgence of the selective approach in social welfare administration. Those arguments, during 1916 and 1917, produced splits in the Australian Labor Party which meant that while Billy Hughes remained prime minister, he only did so with the consent of the antilabor forces in the federal parliament, a situation repeated for Holman in New South Wales. The Australian Labor Party resisted the financial burden being imposed on workers, as did some Country Party politicians concerned about rising costs to rural industry. The medical profession's support had to be bought in secret negotiations to ensure that neither the existing realm of medical charity provided in the public hospitals was invaded, nor specialist services were constrained in any way.
