Population to hit 55m by 2050: Triguboff

25 Jan 2010, 10:13 pm   -   Source: AAP
Share This

Billionaire property developer Harry Triguboff believes Australia's population will soar to 55 million by 2050, but hopes it will reach 100 million.

Billionaire property developer Harry Triguboff believes Australia's population will soar to 55 million by 2050, but hopes it will reach 100 million.

With a new person being added to the country's total population every minute of the day, Australia's population growth is faster than Britain, the US and the EU.

"Our population growth is certainly twice that of China," University of Adelaide demographer Professor Graeme Hugo told ABC Television on Monday.

The growth is being driven by more babies and immigration.

The federal government favours a "big Australia", and wants to increase the country's headcount from 22 million to 35 million by 2050, largely by immigration.

Mr Triguboff believes that figure is too conservative.

"I don't think there will be 35 million but about 55 million," he said on The 7.30 Report.

Without population growth, Mr Triguboff says the economy will stall.

"I'd like to see 100 million, because I believe we will have many things to do here besides drilling holes and selling coal," he said.

"Our agriculture has to be huge.

"Our desalination must be fantastic. Our rivers must flow the right way.

"It will all have to be developed."

Entrepreneur Dick Smith disagrees.

"We need to do something about this incredible increase," he told reporters at an Australian of the Year dinner in Parliament House on Sunday.

Mr Smith said Australia did not have enough water or food to support millions more people.

It was crazy that seawater was being desalinated for drinking water to supply a booming population.

"I believe in 100 years time people in Australia will be starving to death," he said.

Responding to Mr Triguboff's comments on The 7.30 Report, Mr Smith said future generations needed to be taken into consideration.

"I'd say to Harry, `Think of your grandchildren mate, because they are going to have the difficulties that we are creating'."

The government wants to increase the population because it means more young taxpayers to pay the rising health and pension costs of the ageing population.

But a "big Australia" might destroy the country's fragile and already stressed environment, former NSW premier Bob Carr says.

"What's wrong with a bit of space? What's wrong with the possibility of being able to get to a beach and get onto the beach ... where the opportunity of going for a walk in a national park is less than an hour's drive from the centre of the city?" he told The 7.30 Report.

"What's wrong with these things?

"What's wrong with having headlands still in a natural state?

"What's wrong with having magnificent coastal national parks?

"Why do we have to cram (a) coastal strip with tens of millions more people?"

Opposition immigration spokesman Scott Morrison thinks boosting the population is a "positive thing", but has concerns about border policy.

"Anxiety levels are significantly reduced when a government is on top of its game when it comes to managing the immigration program and particularly when it comes to managing our borders, and in both of those cases, there are concerns with this government," he told ABC Radio.

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott told reporters on Monday: "I think the greatest prize in the world is to be an Australian.

"I think we can only take in a certain number of people and as long as that program is run firmly in Australia's national interest we can continue to be a great country of immigrants," he said.

  • Follow us: 
  • Follow us on Facebook
  • Follow us on Twitter
  • Follow us on Youtube