South-East Queensland civic leaders have called for a national framework to assist states and local councils to reach sustainable population targets. Speaking at a Brisbane Institute population growth seminar last night, Brisbane’s Lord Mayor Campbell Newman said there needed to be more federal involvement in the future growth of the state’s south-east corner. He also questioned the validity of the ‘Big Australia’ proposal, where the national population will grow to 35 million by the middle of this century. The Brisbane Times, Tony Moore 23-02-2010