Populating Australia

[Irrev-Black]

This touches on other topics, but may as well be its own heading.

From

https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/politi ... 5jb5y.html

Father-of-three Treasurer Jim Chalmers says he would like to see Australians have more children.

Ahead of next week’s federal budget that will reveal new plans to boost housing for the country’s burgeoning population and forecast a drop in immigration, Chalmers said the government wanted to give people support if they wanted to have children, but ruled out a Peter Costello-style baby bonus.

His comments come as the government prepares to reveal new budget forecasts showing the net migration intake will fall from 518,000 last year to about 260,000 next year, heightening the debate about adding to the population without relying so much on migration.

Channelling former treasurer Peter Costello, who in his 2004 budget urged Australians to “have one for mum, one for dad, and one for the country”, Chalmers said he supported people having more kids.

“It would be better if birth rates were higher,” he said in an interview with this masthead’s podcast The Morning Edition.

Jim seems to be operating in a bell-jar. Has he not seen how it's damn-near-impossible for many families and individuals to stay fed, housed, medically-looked-after and clothed (even for very sub-standard values of those four indicators) as things are? To add to the family headcount might be the tipping point for many on the brink.

He said the government’s policies in areas such as expanded childcare or superannuation on paid parental leave were all aimed at helping parents.

“All of these things are about trying to make it easier for people to have more kids if they want to, and to work more if they want to after they’ve had their kids,” he said.

It also seems that Jim has forgotten Those Poors. (This would be in line with his colleagues, who can't see us either.)

Aspirational Jim-onomics aside, look at the possibility that Oz in the projected lifespan of 2025-edition babies is due to become a droughty, tree-deprived Mad Max Land, nestled in a cuppa-tea-warm, lifeless, sea dotted with pristine white corals, while various warmongers fight and threaten, and any remaining resources are sequestered by billionaires...

I wouldn't cause a kid to be born into 2025.

Perhaps some climate-distressed or war-ravaged Persons Of Colour would be worthy additions to the Oz headcount?

[stylofone]

There's something off about prescribing a preferred number of children. A better principle is "Do what thou wilt with thy reproductive system". But if GovCo's CFO is doing it, I'll join in. I think an ideal number of children is either zero or one.

But have more if you really want to, I'm not the boss of you.

[Loki]

Continual growth is not the only valid economic model.

It's an easy one for treasurers with little imagination though.

I do hope that isn't the issue here.

[pipbarber]

I think i recall another former treasurer imploring an increase to birthrates. Population increase is the easy road to economic growth, of course, which is really the motivation for a baby boom. Putting aside the fact that 'economic growth' is a zombie desire that means increased consumption and habitat destruction, there are probably half a billion people in the world who would be very happy to increase Australia's population and are ready set go to work and consume, and there is your economic growth, Jim. Wrong color, i suppose. Oh well, best follow Peter Costello's play book in that case.

Jim's fertility services anyone?

[stylofone]

I think i recall another former treasurer imploring an increase to birthrates

This Graun article today refers to Costello and his baby bonus, which had a small effect but didn't alter the trend. We are way below the replacement rate.

It's a global phenomenon. The education and empowerment of women is part of it, but I also wonder if there's a global zeitgeist, a genetic trigger which has been pulled, influencing behaviour at a conscious and subconscious level. All these population efforts are another version of "stop it or you'll go blind".

Also the link between dictatorships and pro-natalist policies, especially Ceacescu's Romania, is showing up again now that neo-fascists like Musk are also pushing the population diktat and denouncing feminism as "woke".

Continual growth is not the only valid economic model.

It's an easy one for treasurers with little imagination though.

I do hope that isn't the issue here.

I'm pretty sure that is the issue, can't recall seeing any sign that the major parties have applied a single brain cell to any other idea besides the growth model.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/artic ... s-dropping