And your petitioners humbly pray ...
150 years of petitions in Victoria
Factories Act (1901)
Transcription
To the Honorable the [crossed out: premier] Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of the State of Victoria in Parliament assembled
Humbly sheweth
The petition of the undersigned Domestic Workers respectfully solicit and urge your Honorable House to legislate so as to have Registry Offices brought under one Central Office, strictly and directly under Government supervision; with a block system of references some what similar to that in opperation in Germany, The present system is thought by your petitioners to work injuriously against Domestic Servants, And furthermore knowing that a great number in various branches of labor have met with great consideration at your hands The Domestic Workers beg to have the hours of labor brought under the “Factories Act” That the hours be fixed at sixty hours per week and the weekly half holiday, That every alternate Sunday be given to Domestic Workers as a complete day of rest, The abolition of all Sunday work as far as practicable. That one whole holiday be conceded in the week And further that proper sleeping accommodation should be provided for all Domestic Workers, so that comfort and rest with security be assured, We also desire to urge upon you the necessity of appointing all Inspectoress [sic], so that the bed accommodation given to workers may be inspected, and further we would humbly beg your Honorable House to establish a Woman’s Branch in the Department of Labor on the same lines as exist in New Zealand at the present moment.
Feeling certain that we as a class will receive at your hands justice and an early acceptance of your petitioner’s most humane demands, And your petitioners will ever pray,
Ellcee Foley
Maggie Dunbar
M.Prendergast 25/8/07
Ordered to lie on the table
25th Febry 1907
W.V. Robinson
Clerk of the Legislative Assembly
