SPA Discussion Papers

Discussion papers are commissioned by Sustainable Population Australia and authored by subject experts, to provide detailed analysis of issues contributing to the population discourse in Australia.

1 December 2022

How many Australians? The need for Earth-centric ethics

By Dr. Paul Collins “How Many Australians” Discussion Paper FULL (PDF) Australia is a big country. Surely, we should allow the world’s ‘tired, poor, huddled masses’ to settle here? And yet, despite its physical size, Australia is limited in biophysical and geophysical terms. All our State of Environment reports have found the demands of the …

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28 February 2022

Population and climate change

Population and climate change — full report (PDF) by Ian Lowe, Jane O’Sullivan and Peter Cook Climate change is one of the greatest self-inflicted threats that human civilisation has ever faced. An unprecedented global effort is under way to change course to avert catastrophic outcomes – but doubts remain whether enough is being done, and …

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27 October 2020

Silver tsunami or silver lining? Why we should not fear an ageing population

Sustainable Population Australia – Discussion Paper Lead author: Jane O’Sullivan Date: November 2020 Full version of Discussion Paper (PDF) With people living longer than ever and the baby-boomer generation reaching retirement age, some people worry that we will run short of workers and taxpayers. Media reports and political discourse about our ageing population often adopt …

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25 November 2019

Population growth and infrastructure in Australia: the catch-up illusion

Sustainable Population Australia – Discussion Paper Lead author: Leith van Onselen Date: November 2019 Full version of the infrastructure Discussion Paper  (PDF) Sydney and Melbourne now have worse traffic congestion than New York and Toronto. This congestion is but one symptom of an infrastructure shortfall caused by Australia’s rapid population growth, with both births and …

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