Demography

A growing population can bring economic benefits. It goes hand-in-hand with increased prosperity and better standards of living. It delivers a larger, better-skilled labour force and more vibrant cities. The real challenge is not to stop population growth. It is making population growth work.

In WHY vs WHY™ Big Australia, we pit opposing writers against each other, Jessica Brown & Oliver Hartwich (YES) vs Mark O’Connor (NO). They go head-to-head, each side presenting 7 key reasons why you should say yes/no to Big Australia.

After each side presents their arguments, the opponent then tries to tear each of them apart, both in the book & on this website (with further rebuttals). For readers, we aim to leave nothing unanswered.

Far, far from the troubles at the home front, Prime Minister John Key was visibly enjoying the military honours and his joint press conference with Chancellor Angela Merkel on his visit to Berlin last week. A better use of his time would have been studying the effects of delaying superannuation reforms.

To the prospective new owners of DSE, drop ‘Dick Smith’ from the business name. Any association with him and his ranting is a liability. Maybe the chain would become profitable once more if customers were not greeted by his face at the stores.

Economist Dr Oliver Marc Hartwich is an advocate of a ‘big Australia’. Here are five reasons why he thinks the nation has nothing to fear from a growing population.

While population growth isn’t something to strive for in and of itself, it is nothing to be feared either. Our challenge is not how to stop or slow population growth; our challenge is to embrace it. That way, we can ensure that a growing Australia is a prosperous, interesting and liveable place for us all.

When Kevin Rudd declared his support for the idea of a ‘Big Australia,’ it became one of the final nails in the coffin of his leadership. No wonder Julia Gillard’s first announcement as Prime Minister was to distance herself from it in favour of a so-called ‘sustainable Australia,’ whatever that may be.

Stop population growth, and solve the housing crisis. That’s the simple mantra of the ”small Australia” brigade. But what at first sounds like a straightforward proposition turns out to be based on bogus logic. Population size certainly plays a role in determining our housing needs. But it is by no means the only factor – let alone the decisive one.