Future challenges for Australia:
Population
current and future population trends:
growth rates, age structure and spatial distribution
government population policies to manage population growth
implications of population trends:
ecological sustainability
population movement and urban planning
identify and discuss government population policies:
growth rates
refugees
migration
analyse current and future population trends and their implications
Growth rates
Australia - 22,703,636 (current)
Change – 1.5% (year ended 2010)
Age structure
Australia is ageing as the baby boomers grow older. However with the recent news of
increasing birth rate it may not be as bad as first thought, with higher rates of young people to
take care of older generations.
The implications of an ageing Australia
The ageing of Australia’s population will have wide- ranging social and economic implications
for the nation, including increased need for:
Spatial distribution
Most Australian’s live along the narrow east and south east coast line. 85% within 50km
of the coastline. Approximately 2.6 people per square kilometer. More and more people
are moving to Qld as retirees go to the sunshine coast and young people are offered job
opportunities with affordable housing and a better lifestyle. The mining boom meant that
WA also found itself with increases to their population, this had started to slow due to the
global economic slowdown.
People come to NSW (Sydney) if they are from overseas but go to Queensland & WA if
they move within Australia. What does this mean for the resources in those areas?
Government population policies to manage population growth
Implications of population trends
ecological sustainability
Ecologically sustainable development - the ability of the environment to meet the needs
of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations.
Government needs to ensure:
population movement and urban planning
As Australia, and the cities of Australia grow, more urban planning is needed in key
areas. These include: health, education and transport.
identify and discuss government population policies:
growth rates
There is no formal policy to do with population. It is difficult to formulate. What Australia does
have are migration and refugee policies. Why do you think it is so difficult to formulate a
growth rates policy?
refugees
Humanitarian: refugees and other humanitarian program arrivals must satisfy criteria
concerning refugee or humanitarian cases:
Refugee criteria – for those who meet the United Nations Convention definition of a
refugee and have been identified in conjunction with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR)
as in need of resettlement
Special Humanitarian Program – for those who have suffered discrimination amounting
to gross violation of human rights, displacement or hardship, and who have strong
support from an Australian citizen or permanent resident in Australia
— Onshore Protection Visa Grants – for refugees granted protection visas in
migration
Skilled:
Family:
analyse current and future population trends and their implications
Australia’s population distribution
Where do most Australian’s live?
Most along the narrow east and south east coast line. 85% within 50km of
the coastline.
Approximately 2.6 people per square kilometre. Low compared to Singapore
- 6333 per square kilometre, UK - 246 per square kilometre & USA 31 per
square kilometre.
Highest population densities in Australia:
o Central Sydney - 8300 per km2
o Waverley - 6700 per km2
o North Sydney - 5800 per km2
Population Distribution
Urbanisation
19th century 2% of the world’s population lived in urban areas
Now over 50%
By 2030 60% predicted
In Australia 64% live in capital cities & 86% live in urban centres (1000
people or more)
Why are people moving to the cities?
Changing farming practices
Highly variable commodity prices making it hard to rely on it as a form of income
Loss of traditional industries overseas due to globalisation
Decline in rural health conditions
A range of economic, political, social, cultural, and environmental factors promote
industrialisation. Advantage given to all countries involved in trade.
Interstate migration
Why the move North? - retirees to the sunshine coast and young people
offered job opportunities with affordable housing and a better lifestyle.
Why the move West? Money. As a result of the mining boom a lot of people
are moving West to cash in.
Projected population change
300 000 to 1 million Indigenous people before 1788.
3.7m 1901
10m 1961
20m 4th of December 2003
22.6m currently
The population of Australia is expected to reach 35 million by 2050.
Australia's population grew by 1.7% during the 12 months ended 30 June
2010. The growth rate has been declining since the peak of 2.2% for the
year ended 30 June 2009 and was the lowest growth rate since the year
ending March 2007.
Natural increase and net overseas migration contributed 43% and 57%
respectively to total population growth.
All states and territories experienced positive population growth over the 12
months ended 30 June 2010. Western Australia recorded the largest
percentage gain (2.2%) and Tasmania the smallest (0.9%).
Impacts of the changing population distribution
Decreases the amount of open space, agricultural land, and natural habitats in regions
surrounding cities.
As people move out of the city into surrounding regions, the cities expand, and further
pollution and resource depletion occurs as people travel longer distances from home to work.
“Brain drain”
Reasons for Australia’s population increase
o 1. Natural increase – the difference between births and deaths in a population in a
given time period.
o 2. Net overseas migration – net permanent long term arrivals and departures.
Why is Australia’s natural increase slow
Australia’s fertility rate declined throughout the 1990s
Fertility rate - the average number of children a woman can expect to have.
This is lowering due to people starting families later and as a result having
less children.
WOMEN HAVING THEIR FIRST BIRTH, BY AGE GROUP - 1998 AND 2008
Why is Australia’s population ageing
Fertility rate was low in the late 1990s and early 2000s and there is a high
life expectancy
The gender of most Australians
In 1901 110 males to every 100 females
In 1999 99 males to every 100 females
Reasons:
Life expectancy greater for females
Increasing rate of migrants being female
How many people do not speak English at home?
15.5% or 3 million
Popular languages - Italian, Greek, Cantonese, Arabic and Vietnamese.
Reflecting the migration patterns post WWII.
Where do Australians come from?
Up to 1861 - Britain
1861 - 1890s - gold rush brought all Europeans, Americans & Chinese.
1890 - 1950 - White Australia Policy.
1945-1965 - Greeks, Italians, Yugoslavians, Lebanese & Turkish brought to
Australia to work on the snowy mountains scheme.
Current migration
Movement toward Asia - Especially after the Vietnam War.
Main countries people in Australia were born - UK, NZ, Italy,
Migration – at what age
Read fertility rates article on moodle.
Work for now
In 1/2 page explain the changing nature of Australia’s population and the
impact it has on the Australian community. In your answer include;
changing work patterns (more females working), ageing
population/declining fertility rate
Explain how the policies in Australia determine who migrates to Australia.
(Consider pre WW2, White Australia policy, post WW2, Vietnam war,
globalisation)
Analyse the success of policies used to increase our population