Australia's current population is around 23.5 million.
Between 2007 and 2012 Australia’s population grew by 9 per cent while the average for other developed economies was under 4 per cent.
The ABS projects that by 2061 Australia will have a population of 41.5 million people.
A growing population means more economic activity and more public revenue. But the faster our population grows, the more we need to spend on new services like roads, public transport, hospitals and schools.
A 2014 Australia Institute survey found Australians were worried about the ability of our governments to meet the challenges of population growth. Eight in ten (81%) Australians are concerned about population growth impacting on traffic congestion, almost two thirds (64%) were concerned about stretched public transport services and 69% about a shortage of schools and hospitals.
Given public concerns about the government’s preparedness for population growth, it is unsurprising then that one in two Australians think we need to have a “national conversation” about population growth.
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