News
Issue No. 11 - June/July 2003
The Fight to Build Population
It is no secret that South Australia’s population is the oldest in Australia. It is also well known that our population growth has in recent decades badly lagged the national average and, within a relatively short period, will plateau and start to decline.
We are already starting to see the results of South Australia’s poor population performance, with a lost seat in the Federal Parliament and a reduction in funding for university places.
This is just the beginning of a downward spiral which, without a major redistribution of wealth (coordinated at the Federal level) will see South Australians having a lower standard of living and fewer opportunities than other Australians.
Population decline is not inevitable in South Australia, if decision makers have the will to do something about it.
To help drive the debate and promote responsible population growth, a group of South Australians have formed a State branch of the Australian Population Institute, or APop.
APop believes South Australia’s population and living standards should increase in line with other States, and that population forms part of an overall economic strategy for the State.
South Australia should be lobbying the Federal Government to ensure that we receive our fair share of the national migrant intake.
There are opportunities to identify skills that are in short supply in South Australia, such as teachers, vineyard workers and a number of building industry trad...
