How many people doing what in Australia?

Australia has a ‘hot, heavy and wet economy’, that is one that uses a lot of energy and water, and produces a lot of waste, to create wealth. It was the model for a successful 20^th century economy. But it isn’t the model for the 21^st century.

The 21^st century requires the opposite, a cool, light and dry economy. That’s the real new economy, based on innovation, knowledge, doing more with less, value-adding, being clever.

Research by the Australia Institute has shown that the average migrant comes from a country with less than half the per capita greenhouse gas emissions of Australia, yet once here they will, on average, become a typical Australian emitter, because they are subject to our public transport conditions, our electricity generation, our consumption patterns etc etc.

Anyone who advocates a higher population for Australia should also be a vigorous environmental advocate.

From those people I would like support for:

1. The Kyoto protocol
2. A carbon tax
3. Cutting the billions of dollars of subsidies to fossil fuel use.
4. Higher water prices for agriculture and industry.
5. Investment in land and water repair.

Then we can start to talk about population growth. But it’s important to note that a new economy doesn’t necessarily need a lot of people.

The population debate shouldn’t be about sheer numbers. It’s about what people are doing. And it’s also about where they are doing it.

Australia has seen most of its population growth along the coast. This is a very sensitive area to concentrate people. Growth in large cities has a different impact to growth in the regions. Growth in the Sydney basin may have different impacts to growth in less constrained cities. Growth in areas of good public transport, for example inner Melbourne, may be very different to growth in areas with poor public transport, for example outer Melbourne.

ACF argues that the complexities of these issues need to be addressed if we are to achieve a sustainable Australia. We urge the following:

• A national population policy.
• Environmental modernisation of the Australian economy and industry.
• Promotion of a low environmental impact society.

Then every Australian, whether born here or a migrant, can tread more lightly than a Norwegian or Swede.