World Population Day – Sustainable Population Australia Victoria challenges growth at free public event as Melbourne’s population heads towards 12 million.
July 11th is World Population day, marking the 30th anniversary since the global population hit 5 Billion on 11th of July, 1989. This week, it will be 7.7 billion, and UN estimates it will reach 11.2 billion by 2100.
Australia’s population growth rate is three times higher than other OECD nations, growing by 400,000 in 2018 (ABS). Sustainable Population Australia (SPA) calls for a more truthful and comprehensive debate of population and immigration issues – free from knee-jerk accusations of racism and NIMBYism.
As part of World Population Day, SPA will be hosting a free public event in Melbourne: “Is Bigger Always Better? Can We Curb Our Growth Obsession?” The event will include a variety of speakers with different perspectives on the issue of population followed by a Q&A. Former federal Labor MP Kelvin Thomson will be MC.
Population is the multiplier of all environmental impacts. SPA national president, Ms Sandra Kanck says, “The UN’s Sixth Global Environmental Outlook, cites population growth as a prime driver of ongoing environmental change. Under the Paris Agreement, Australia must reduce emissions by 26 per cent by 2030 (on 2005 emissions).”
However, last year’s population growth alone will add 6 million tonnes of CO2 to national emissions, which is 10x the impact of the Adani coal mine.
Liveability, public debt, and congestion will continue to worsen, as our biggest cities will pass the 10 million-mark mid-century. “The Australian Bureau of Statistic’s highest projection says there would be 12.2 million people in Melbourne by 2066, and 11.7 million people in Sydney,” Ms Kanck says. Every additional person, costs well over $100,000 in public money for basic infrastructure. “That means at least $40 billion is required to cater for the extra 400,000 people Australia gained last year,” she says.
Kelvin Thomson, Victorian branch president of SPA commented, “In 2018, the net migration to Australia was 250,000 combined with 150,000 natural increase. Australia should follow the lead of New Zealand’s PM, Jacinda Ardern, and reduce our net immigration intake to historical levels of 70,000 per annum.”
More information on the SPA event “Is Bigger Always Better” can be found on our website. The Victoria and Tasmanian branch of SPA can be contacted on media@population.org.au.