Sustainable Population Australia (SPA) sees no progress towards a sustainable environmental and economic future for Australia following the recent Federal Election.
SPA’s National President, Peter Strachan says, “After expanding population by 8.6 million, or 45% over the past 25 years, Australia continues to add 553,000 people per year, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.”
Population change graph sourced courtesy from the ABS.
“Of this number 449,500 people or 82 percent result from net overseas migration (NOM). Additionally, there are about 292,000 births, of which approximately 32 percent are born to women who were born overseas, and 187,700 deaths.”
Mr Strachan says, “In total, this is equivalent to adding a capacity crowd at the Melbourne Cricket Ground to Australia’s population every two months. Each person needs to be housed, with water, power, access to public transport and other services like schools and medical services. Government policy initiatives in this area are totally inadequate.”
Two months of population growth would be sufficient to fill the MCG.
Despite wide community support with over 70 percent of voters surveyed wanting a halt to Australia’s population growth, SPA found only one party with sensible policy settings for both a sustainable population and an environmentally healthy future, while others promoting lower immigration were not motivated by environmental concerns.
SPA National President, Peter Strachan, is available for further comment at [email protected] or on 0412 400 952 from 8am AEST.
“Lifting Australia’s historically and internationally deplorable productivity growth will be a major challenge for Labor’s second term. According to many economists, capital shallowing has been a major factor: business and infrastructure investment has been unable to keep pace with the growing workforce,” says Mr Strachan.
According to SPA Spokesperson Michael Bayliss, bringing in more people has generated more skills shortages than it has filled. Meanwhile, jobs growth has been mainly in the government-funded care sector. “This population growth will perpetuate and worsen Australia's existing housing and other cost of living issues, while eroding what remains of the natural environment” says Mr Bayliss.
Graph sourced by IFM/MacroBusiness
“Encouragingly, some nations have shown that it is possible for centrist or left leaning governments to lower immigration without the additional baggage that comes with right-wing nationalist politics. Denmark’s progressive government attracted wide electoral support by adopting lower immigration targets in 2019, effectively dealing with a challenge from the political right.
“Australian politicians must learn from the success of countries such as Denmark. We cannot leave the population debate in the hands of far-right culture wars and neglect its crucial environmental and social justice impacts.”
SPA Communications Manager, Michael Bayliss, is available for further comment at [email protected] or on 0423 701 611 from 08:30am AEST
Mr Bayliss says that nearly 20,000 signatures to the SPA position statement ahead of the election demonstrates that there is strong community support for SPA’s core objectives, including to reduce Australia’s Net Overseas Migration to 50,000 – 80,000 per annum.
“Unfortunately, we still live in a society in which our elected politicians are tone deaf to the views of the Australian public on this critical issue.”
About us:
Sustainable Population Australia (SPA) is an independent not-for-profit organisation seeking to protect the environment and our quality of life by ending population growth in Australia and globally, while rejecting racism and involuntary population control. SPA is an environmental advocacy organisation, not a political party.
Contact details:
Michael Bayliss
Spokesperson and Communications Manager
0423 701 611
[email protected]
Peter Strachan
SPA National President
0412 400 952