The Listening Post - first two decades due for release

Soldier Preference was an issue explored at great length in the Listening Post.  It was the policy of the Federal Government that preference should be granted to those who served in employment and was supported by the RSL.  Preference was conditional on both candidates having matching skills and abilities. 

In 1923, the RSPCA reported an acting secretary Miss Villiers.  The appointment conflicted with the policy of preference to returned service personnel and drew criticism from the League and the general public.  The conflict resulted from the way the appointment was made, the position was advertised and a number of returned service personnel applied.  Miss Villiers was one of the applicants and was appointed in an acting capacity for six months.  The decision not to hire a returned service person of equal qualification was what brought the RSPCA directly into conflict with the RSL in WA. 

In an article appearing in the Listening Post July 1924, the position of the League in the matter is outlined.  Funds raised from street collections were said to have been ‘the poorest response for years’ during this period for the RSPCA with public opinion largely supporting preference. 

The resolution of this conflict wasn’t till 1925 with the rules of the RSPCA being re-written to include a rule in support of preference in employment to returned service personnel providing everything else was equal.