The Susso
Encyclopedia
The Susso is an Australian slang term referring to "sustenance" (welfare
) payments, especially during the Great Depression. "Susso" could also be used as a noun, for someone depending on such payments, often unsympathetically.
The unemployment was further exacerbated by the falling income from primary producers. At the end of 1929, Australia's unemployment
rate sat at around 13%. By 1932, it had peaked at a staggering 29%.
, filling foods, such as bread and potatoes, and shanty town
s that sprang up across the nation. The Depression was illustrated by the estimated 40,000 homeless who had to create makeshift accommodation in public parks and fields. In the men that went wandering - ‘on the track’ in search of work, or even food. These men - estimated to be somewhere around 30,000 in numbers, had to report to a police station every week, where they could claim very basic rations of food.
it was in the form of rations and vouchers. At a time when the basic wage was £2/11/8d, "the susso" in Queensland
was 3s. to 4/6d per child. "Many spend more than that on a dog", one speaker was quoted as saying.
It was immortalised in a contemporary children’s rhyme (probably based on "You're in the Army Now", a World War I
song featured in intertitles of the 1925 King Vidor
silent film The Big Parade
):
Welfare
Welfare refers to a broad discourse which may hold certain implications regarding the provision of a minimal level of wellbeing and social support for all citizens without the stigma of charity. This is termed "social solidarity"...
) payments, especially during the Great Depression. "Susso" could also be used as a noun, for someone depending on such payments, often unsympathetically.
Causes
The prices of wool and wheat - two of the nation’s biggest exports had been in rapid decline. Overseas investments and loans started to disappear. As money became tight, there was a large decrease on spending on public work, which led to an increase in unemployment.The unemployment was further exacerbated by the falling income from primary producers. At the end of 1929, Australia's unemployment
rate sat at around 13%. By 1932, it had peaked at a staggering 29%.
Effects
Though the downturn in the economy had a much greater effect on the lives of the poor, not even the very rich could ignore the situation, as evidence of the Depression could be found everywhere. It was seen in the dole queues, soup kitchens doling out stapleStaple food
A staple food is one that is eaten regularly and in such quantities that it constitutes a dominant portion of a diet, and that supplies a high proportion of energy and nutrient needs. Most people live on a diet based on one or more staples...
, filling foods, such as bread and potatoes, and shanty town
Shanty town
A shanty town is a slum settlement of impoverished people who live in improvised dwellings made from scrap materials: often plywood, corrugated metal and sheets of plastic...
s that sprang up across the nation. The Depression was illustrated by the estimated 40,000 homeless who had to create makeshift accommodation in public parks and fields. In the men that went wandering - ‘on the track’ in search of work, or even food. These men - estimated to be somewhere around 30,000 in numbers, had to report to a police station every week, where they could claim very basic rations of food.
The susso
By 1932, more than 60,000 people depended on sustenance payments - known as "the susso", merely to survive. This was only for the truly destitute, who had been unemployed for a sustained period of time, and had no assets or savings. Relief was State-based - in South AustraliaSouth Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
it was in the form of rations and vouchers. At a time when the basic wage was £2/11/8d, "the susso" in Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
was 3s. to 4/6d per child. "Many spend more than that on a dog", one speaker was quoted as saying.
It was immortalised in a contemporary children’s rhyme (probably based on "You're in the Army Now", a World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
song featured in intertitles of the 1925 King Vidor
King Vidor
King Wallis Vidor was an American film director, film producer, and screenwriter whose career spanned nearly seven decades...
silent film The Big Parade
The Big Parade
The Big Parade is a 1925 silent film. It tells the story of an idle rich boy who joins the US Army's Rainbow Division and is sent to France to fight in World War I, becomes friends with two working class men, experiences the horrors of trench warfare, and finds love with a French girl.The film was...
):
- "We’re on the susso now,
- We can’t afford a cow,
- We live in a tent,
- We pay no rent,
- We’re on the susso now."