The population growth rate figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) yesterday are even more shocking than those released three months ago, says Sustainable Population Australia (SPA).
According to the ABS, for the year ending 30 September 2023, Australia’s population growth rate was 2.5%, equivalent to that of Nigeria, Senegal and Somalia, up from 2.4% last quarter.
SPA national president Jenny Goldie says the annual growth of 659,800 people was made up of 548,800 net overseas migration (immigration minus emigration) and 111,000 natural increase.
“Growth of just under two-thirds of a million people in one year on this largely arid continent with a variable climate and poor soils is unconscionable,” says Ms Goldie. “It is unsustainable in economic, social and environmental terms. Indeed, it is nothing short of criminal.
“It is the main cause of the all-time rental crisis and the cruel increase in homelessness, but Mr Albanese simply doesn’t care. He knows he has no voter consent for what he’s doing.
“Natural increase (births minus deaths) is slowly coming down, but net overseas migration has gone through the roof. The excuse that we are making up for the Covid-induced closure of borders is past its use-by-date.
“Economically, every new person – be they migrant or native-born – requires about $120,000 in public funds for basic infrastructure. Multiply that by 659,800 and you get $79 billion. That is a huge drain on the economy. It will take decades for the government to recoup those costs in taxes from new immigrants, if at all.
“Socially, anyone not with their head in the sand has made the connection between housing unaffordability and recent rapid population growth. These latest population figures will push up rentals even more.
“Environmentally, our flora and fauna is at increasing risk from human activities and we are not on track to meet our greenhouse gas reduction targets. The government’s 43% reduction on 2005 levels by 2030 is already a pipe dream.”
Ms Goldie says immigration is running about 7-8 times higher than the 80,000 which might eventually enable a stabilisation of our population.
“This is a catastrophic overshoot.
“The population growth rate in the OECD bloc is only around 0.5%. That’s roughly where we should be aiming, not an absurd 2.5%. Mr Albanese has declared war on his own people.”
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