National Newsletters

This newsletter contains two exciting announcements. First, SPA has been given the rights to hold the Fenner Conference on Environment next year, on the subject “Making Australian agriculture sustainable”. Second, Bob Carr will launch the first of SPA-commissioned reports – this one on Infrastructure – on 26 November in Sydney. The newsletter has two opinion articles: one on the need for a population policy by Jenny Stewart; and another on populating northern Australia by Julian Bolliter.

In this issue, we take a more international approach and focus on family planning. You will find a front page article about Earth Overshoot Day being three days earlier this year, on 29 July. There are Opinion articles from Malcolm Potts and Alisha Graves, Patricia Derer and Joe Guzzardi; abstracts of two important papers; a report on the UN paper on  biodiversity and ecosystem services; two book reviews,  our communications manager’s report; a letter to editor and  branch reports.

In this issue you will find a front page story about the winner of the inaugural Mary E White Unsung Hero award, and the fourth Life Membership issued by SPA. Inside are excellent articles from Bill Schlesinger, Crispin Hull, Judith Sloan and Sue Arnold. There's a book review of "Empty Planet" and a report from our hard-working Communications' Manager. And as always, the branch reports, including one that covers the recent successful weekend in Brisbane that included the AGM, a seminar and national executive meeting

In this issue we highlight the Opinion article about ageing in the prestigious journal Trends in Ecology and Evolution (TREE), co-authored by SPA's Queensland president, Jane O'Sullivan. There are Opinion pieces by Stephen Saunders and Geoff Davies, what Barry Jones thinks Abraham Lincoln might have said in his Gettysburg address today, and news of the Human Overpopulation Atlas which you can download.

In this issue we farewell Patron Mary White and welcome new Patron Katharine Betts. You will find a number of Opinion pieces and a review of the important paper by John Bongaarts and Brian C O'Neill as to whether population had been 'left out in the cold' in terms of climate action. There's a book review of Edward O Wilson's 'Half-Earth', a report from our new Communication Officer Michael Bayliss, and how to join the members-only online PopForum. And as always, reports from our six branches. Happy reading!

Contents

MMT basics
MMT and a steady-state economy
MMT and a government job guarantee
SPA celebrates 30th birthday
Branch and president's report

In this edition you will find a worrying article by eminent bio-ecologist William Rees about how we humans are blind to imminent biological collapse. Another paper compares two important studies on Australians’ attitudes to immigration.

There’s news of SPA trustee, Dr Hugh Tyndale-Biscoe, winning an AM in the Australia Day honours list and a tribute to the late WA stalwart, Dr Paddy Weaver.

There are two book reviews, branch news and a final message from our outgoing president, Dr James Ward.

Contents
Colin Butler on slowing migration
Bob Birrell on the visa reset
Bob Kinnaird on the visa reset
Jenny Goldie book review
Branch reports
Treasurer’s report to the AGM
President’s snippets

Contents

Jenny Goldie reflects on 29 years of SPA

James Ward et al on the decoupling delusion

William Rees on the wages of self-delusion

Vale Bryan Furnass

Book reviews