Discussing Australia's population can be a sensitive topic. Want to talk about immigration? You might be labeled a racist. But there are conversations as a nation we must have.
This week, Australia's population hit 28 million, adding 10 million people since 1995. Meanwhile, the willingness to have children has declined sharply. Apart from the baby bonus introduced by Peter Costello in the Howard years, the fertility rate has plummeted to 1.48 babies per woman of child-bearing age. Couples are not even replacing themselves, let alone growing the population.
"We are in a situation where now is just too hostile for people to consider bringing children into the world," said ANU demographer Dr. Liz Allen. The cost of living, housing crisis, energy crisis, childcare crisis, and climate crisis are all contributing factors. Many couples feel it is not worth it, and they do not see it as a choice.
The Impact of Low Fertility
"This indicator of births tells us something quite striking about what's happening in Australian society," Dr. Allen said. "Social cohesion is most definitely fraying. I'm concerned from a human perspective about what some are calling a human catastrophe." Without children, there will be no young workers to support the aging population.
Finance expert David Koch noted, "You need population growth to keep the economy growing. If we didn't have immigration, the Australian economy would have been in recession for about the last two years." Australians are having fewer children, making immigration the only factor preventing economic decline.
Political Disagreements
Politicians cannot agree on how to solve the housing crisis, whether house prices should rise or fall, whether immigration should increase or decrease, or how to address climate change. These factors influence family size decisions. With global upheaval and the chance to shape Australia's future, it is time for a national conversation.
