When Peter Costello told Australians to have “one for mum, one for dad and one for the country”, I listened dammit. Thus, I have three children. I would like to have four but no male public figure has yet endorsed that number so I’m stalled. Anyone? Anyone? And also? Why don’t women tell other women how many babies to have?
Australian entrepreneur and businessman, Dick Smith thinks 3 is too many. He’s pushing for 2. Sorry Dick.
He told an urban developers conference today that Australian families should limit the number of children they have to two. Like a slightly larger version of China’s ‘One Child’ policy.
“Likening high-rise apartments to chicken coops, the former Australian of the Year thanked property developers at an Urban Taskforce population debate for “not lynching” him after he attacked their drive for profits and called for an end to growth addiction.
“It’s either going to be forced on us or we are going to plan,” Mr Smith said. “I would like to see Australia stabilise at 24 to 25 million.
“I don’t see it by force. I see it by saying to parents, ‘It’s best to have two kids’. I see us having an immigration intake of 70,000 per year.”
And with that, Dick Smith expects families to dash to the 24/7 vasectomy clinic and tie a knot in it. Or quit getting frisky in the bedroom. Sure, that’s nice if that’s what individual families want to choose, but hardly a policy pronouncement beyond a couple of headlines in the press.
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The population issue is at the core of it, and has resurfaced today. Former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd advocated for a ‘big Australia’ which scared some as they noted our resources and infrastructure networks were already being strained with 21 million residents. Then Julia Gillard rolled Rudd and pared back on the rhetoric, advocating for a ‘sustainable’ Australia.
It was only back in 2006 that then Treasurer Peter Costello was urging every family to have a third baby ‘for the country’ – like it was the ultimate in patriotism.
“I encourage people who can, if you have the opportunity, if you’re young enough, to have one for mum, one for dad and one for the country,” Mr Costello said yesterday, invoking the formula he first used after the 2004 budget.
Mr Costello said he wanted people to think of a three-child family as normal — certainly not a large family. The extended payment was “an additional benefit for families with three children” and might encourage other families to have an extra child.”
Right. Now we’re all confused. How many babies should we be having? Two? Three? Roll a dice and whatever number shows up?
The real question now is, were the comments a bit daft or do you think Dick Smith is on to something here? What about our population in general? Does size REALLY matter?
