Could this be Bondi Beach in the year 2050?
Shocking new figures released by the Australian government show that the Australian population could rise to almost 35 million by the year 2050 – largely due to the number of Australian immigrants.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has previously been laid-back about such a population growth, calling it his “big Australia” yet only today when questioned by ABC Television about the 35 million forecast he had this abrupt answer: “I don’t have a view on that to be quite honest.”
Meanwhile the opposition certainly weren’t holding back on their views. High-profile businessman Dick Smith says that unless population expansion is curbed, future Australians could starve. He recommends cutting skilled immigrant workers and encouraging people to have fewer children. He also claims to have the support of the majority of Australians.
“Nine out of 10 Aussies don’t want 40 million people here, but there’s no discussion, there’s no debate. There has to be. Because what’s the use of bringing kids in this world, who even in a modern Western country could starve to death? And that’s what could happen.”
Concerns have been voiced about such a rapid population boom, pointing to the fragile eco-system of many parts of Australia, a possible increase in damaging bushfires, water shortages and a lack of housing amongst others.
Professor Mike Young from the University of Adelaide warns of environmental consequences with a shortage of water determining the fate of some Australian cities.
Previously the governments have always encouraged immigration to boost their population as it means more young taxpayers to support an ageing population. And of course the more people there are to pay taxes, the richer the government…. Yet the government has to be careful that an expanding population does not mean greater costs elsewhere.
Many British people immigrate to Australia because of the low population rates and the vastness of the country. They seek to escape from our overcrowded shores. However they needn’t worry too much, the UK’s population in 2009 was estimated to be at around 61 million, so at Australia’s rate of growth, even if the population expands as drastically as predicted, it will still only represent half the population of the UK.
EmbraceAustralia gives information to people who want to emigrate to Australia to lead a better life, who want to travel to Australia on their holidays, get an Australian visa, work in Australia or those who just love the Australian lifestyle. So let us bring you a little Aussie sunshine into your lives – bookmark us for all the latest news every day and inspiring features that will have you “grinning like a shot fox”.
Love Australia? Let us keep you informed...
- Join the Embrace Australia community today. Have your questions answered by our experts, start your own blog, get vital migration information and gain valuable insight from those who have already made the journey.
- Subscribe to our RSS Feed and have all our daily news and features delivered straight to your news reader.
- Join our mailing list -
