An update on Australia's future population growth and its population problems.

Abstract

"Population projections need to be continually updated as new information becomes available.... With an assumption of a total fertility rate of 1.865 children per woman and annual net migration of 50,000, ABS [Australian Bureau of Statistics] projections published in 1996 and additional projections in 1997 suggest a population of 24.5 million in 2051 and an ultimate population of more than 25 million. The analysis in this article...puts Australia's various population problems into a proper perspective and tries to direct attention away from the unnecessary preoccupation with population decline."