Group Settlement Scheme

Targeting civilians and others who were otherwise ineligible for the Soldiers' scheme, its principal purpose was to provide a labour force to open up the large tracts of potential agricultural land to ultimately reduce dependence on food imports from interstate.

[1] High levels of post-war unemployment in Britain saw the UK Government seizing on the scheme as a way to reduce dole-queues.

Mitchell's plan was for 40-to-65-hectare (100-to-160-acre) land holdings to be cleared and intensively cultivated by the settlers, initially supervised by experienced farmers, to develop a self-sustaining dairy industry.

[2] He and his Nationalist and Country Party colleagues considered the 'unlimited land resources for closer settlement' were the key to the state's economic progress.

[4] Migrant settlers received financial assistance for their and their families' passage to Australia, and in return were required to work in small communities in undeveloped areas in the State's South West and Wheatbelt regions.

They cleared land, built fences and established their farms in areas which had previously been unable to attract settlers.

The promises made to applicants were often unrealistic and sometimes grossly misleading, and caused many to resign and walk off the properties soon after arrival and realisation of the task before them.

The term "Group Settlement" was believed to have come from a suggestion made by a British soldier-settler John Wozencroft who had been assigned a 34.4-hectare (85-acre) allotment near Lefroy Brook at Pemberton.

[6] Mitchell reacted quickly, possibly fearing a public relations issue, and despatched Barbe More, a Lands Inspector at Bunbury.

The commission's final report was published on 9 June 1925 and included:[11] The new method of land settlement was put into effect in March 1921, when Group 1 was started on its way to Manjimup.

[4] In 1930, government support was finally withdrawn and management responsibility for the remaining settlements passed to the Agricultural Bank.

The policy helped establish a dairy industry which flourishes today, and many successful farms were cleared by the group workers.