Although immigration has slowed in recent times, the projections for our future population have many concerned about where all of these people will live, writes Michael Yardney, director of Metropole Property Investment Strategists.
Population growth
Australia’s population is growing at twice the world average. But is there enough room on this wide brown land for any more people? News and views from Crikey and around the country.
Video of the Day: Just one of seven billion
A fascinating — and typographically attractive — video by the National Geographic examining the world’s fast growing population, from where we live to how much energy we use.
How will the world look in 15 years?
The recent GFC came out of the blue for most, so how does a consensus future look like at the moment? Right now most pundits agree were heading for a population explosion and major economic growth in developing countries, writes Mark Thirlwell
Debates, purse strings and potential Red Faces
Daily Media Wrap: It’s a mixed-bag in the media this morning, with talk of population continuing to overflow, Tony Abbott still getting haunted by the “dead, buried, cremated” Work Choices zombie and political nerds preparing their rebuttle for the leaders’ debate.
Labor’s population
obsession
While Labor desperately appeals to the redneck vote on population, it is heading in the right direction on housing infrastructure because there’s a chance it might actually produce quality policy.
Mayne: Gillard the world’s most selfish national leader on population?
Given that Labor’s most rusted-on demographic of all is the support it gets from voters born overseas, Julia Gillard’s full-frontal assault on immigration is one of the most remarkable political double-takes we’ve seen in a while.
Kelly: Big Australia cut short
Kevin Rudd’s very public support of a “Big Australia” may have been a strategic mistake, but now nobody knows what Labor stands for on population other than so-called “sustainable” growth, says Paul Kelly.
Bob Ellis: Some words of advice to Gillard’s chief of staff
The nation looks to the leader to see how to react to the boat people issue. So let’s not vilify them, burn their boats and lock them up, when we let others in with open arms, writes Bob Ellis.
Hollo: Australia is not an island
Population policy is one of those deeply vexed issues that often seems to bring out the worst in political discussions. But population is an issue of far greater significance globally than it is locally, writes Tim Hollo.
Immigration rhetoric can’t be sustained
Julia Gillard has adopted the narrow rhetoric of the anti-immigration lobby that will cost Australia dearly in the future. It’s the ultimate in vision-less leadership.
graph pr0n The real great Australian bite
In all the debate about population growth in Australia, there is one key issue that needs looking at: food production. Can we continue to grow all the food we need without properly addressing climate change?
Population planning: how opera producers will cash in
You don’t expect questions of immigration and population growth to be discussed in rarefied opera circles. At Opera Australia it’s all part of a delicate balancing act in reimagining an archaic art form for an ever-changing audience.
Abbott’s population target will cost us
Tony Abbott has a kinda-sorta population target — one that will inflict massive damage on the Australian economy in the long-term.
Crikey Says: Abbott whistling for an us-and-them contest
The dog whistle is out of the drawer. Tony Abbott intends to press the population button as an issue — maybe the issue — of the upcoming election.
Tony Burke: lies, damned lies, and net migration figures
Population minister Tony Burke wants to make some things clear: there is no 2050 population target; natural growth rates are different to birth rate; and net migration rates are different to permanent migration rates.
Essential Research: Mandate for Labor on health, refugees
Voters are standing behind Labor on refugee policy and health reform as leaders nut out a deal in Canberra today, with new Essential Research polling giving the government a strong mandate on both key issues.
Goward: More traumatised people means more gut-wrenching social issues
The population debate isn’t just about economics. Pru Goward explains the social issues of Sudanese refugees — men losing their social status, rebellious children — that communities are struggling with.
Dick Smith: gold-medal winning population growth not winning us friends
Our gold-medal winning population growth wins us no friends in Asia, writes Australian entrepreneur Dick Smith. Our refugee intake looks ever more miserly as our population increases, and our climbing birth rate makes us the odd one out in the region.
Megalogenis: More people equals more money
Think that the best thing for society is to strictly control immigration? Well NSW has been doing it for a decade, and its economy slowed dramatically and its population fled to Victoria and Queensland, writes George Megalogenis.
Why medium density housing is a health issue
The ever increasing urban sprawl and private car based travel is causing enormous health, social, environmental and economic costs, says Victoria Walks’ Ben Rossiter. But can the public be convinced that more urban housing doesn’t necessarily mean more concrete?
Crikey Says: The population discussion going on behind closed doors
There are two population debates going on in Australia. First, the public debate. Second, the subterranean debate that’s rarely discussed in public because it contains two unpalatable truths.
The Liberals’ problem: population’s popular
Don’t underestimate how badly business views the Opposition’s attack on skilled migration. It’s more than just about a “big Australia”.
Population of a nation: Crikey readers mouth off
As always, Crikey readers divide into complicated camps — read on for a robust discussion on NIMBYs, Norway, GDP, air quality, housing density, racism, carbon footprints… and wombats.
Sheridan: We need more people so we can afford more bombs
Australia’s population is too small for adequate national security. We need to grow so we can adequately protect ourselves from enemies without outside help, writes Greg Sheridan.
Pacific Solution becomes the Pacific Problem
Controlling our borders will be much more difficult when our own region starts to see large-scale displacement of people from climate change.
