I'm not sure Rolf Harris was popular in Australia at the time of that hit. He certainly was in th UK where he had come to live. I suspect he became popular in Oz afterwards.

With regard to payment in script isn't this what was banned under the 'truck' laws? A common practice in England used to be to pay workers in an ale-house owned by the company so that a large proportion of the wages never got home.

Oh, and Johnny Cash sings about owing his soul to the company store in '16 Tons'.