Australia's 'alarmingly high' population growth

Australia’s annual population growth rate of 1.6% is alarmingly high, according to Sustainable Population Australia (SPA).

Figures released this week by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) for the year ending December 2016 showed Australia’s population had increased by 372,800 to 24,385,600 people over the previous year. Net overseas migration (NOM) made up 209,000, or 56%, of the total growth, and natural increase the rest.

SPA President Dr James Ward said our population growth rate is more than twice the OECD average — third only to Israel and Luxembourg — and is simply unsustainable.

“Much of the growth occurs in our major cities and infrastructure is not keeping pace with a consequent loss of living standards,” Dr Ward said.

“Traffic congestion is lowering productivity and causing social harm through longer commuting times. Owning your own home is out of reach for average young Australians. Cramming more people into cities can’t possibly help; most young people today can only hope the housing bubble will eventually burst, which is a pretty bleak outlook.”

The environmental consequences are looking particularly bleak, Dr Ward said, noting that species like the koala are “threatened as prime habitats are decimated by urban expansion”.

Importantly, he said, the growth of human populations means it is becoming “harder and harder to meet our international obligations with respect to greenhouse emissions”.

“Despite our relatively weak target of reducing emissions by 26–28% by 2030 on 2005 levels, this translates to around 50% reduction per capita because of population increase, and far more if we adopt a more meaningful target.

“In short, the rising tide of population growth means a greater sacrifice must be made by each person in reducing their own emissions.”

Recently, Victorian Liberals stated that Melbourne would become unlivable as it grew to eight million and recommended decentralisation. But Dr Ward said that decentralisation is “a bandaid fix to a systemic problem”, instead claiming, “The only solution is to cut net migration at least by half — which we can do while increasing our refugee intake — and encourage people to have small families.”