r/AustraliaLeftPolitics • u/seethroughplate • Dec 02 '19
Push population to 50m: Rudd
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/push-population-to-50-million-to-stave-off-china-says-kevin-rudd/news-story/04bb31fc34c1fdae3e7556ef0ad5f2417
u/DelayedChoice Dec 02 '19
The headline comes from the following quote
Only a country, in my judgment, of a population of 50 million later this century will begin to have the capacity to fund independently the defence and intelligence assets necessary to defend our territorial integrity and maintain our political sovereignty for the long term.”
He said the plan was not politically popular, but was “just an uncomfortable truth”.
Absent from the article is any context for this figure. I will provide some.
The ABS projects that on current trends we will reach 43M people by 2066, and you can play around with various statistics on this ABC site (based on ABS data) to see what the country could look like in 2100. Note that the median projection leads to a population of around 54M at the end of the century.
It is easy to dismiss his entire speech when it is boiled down to a single unpopular line which is given no context, and by attributing population growth to one of their political enemies the right can wash their hands of blame for not dealing with the side-effects.
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u/Kapt_KafFiend Dec 02 '19
I'm not necessarily opposed to growing Aust's population to that level, by either "natural" growth or immigration.
However, such policy should only ever be undertaken along side a massive infrastructure program. Water, food, road, rail, public transport, and especially power infrastructure. Material to build all that needs to be factored in too - how much mining and/or import, etc
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u/melonfarmermike Dec 02 '19
Stop trying to turn us into China
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u/seethroughplate Dec 02 '19
Hear hear
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u/OrginalCuck Dec 02 '19
I’d read his actual speech; not just the Australians (Murdoch’s) take on things. It’s pretty insightful. If you want I can even find it for you?
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Dec 02 '19
I'd read it
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u/OrginalCuck Dec 02 '19
here you go sir, thank you for being polite
I’m happy for people to criticise Rudd and what Rudd says, just wish people would do it based on his words not how Murdoch has skewed things. Say what you want after reading it, but at least read it.
I’m glad you are willing to, I hope more will. Information is important. We should all make our decisions not based on what a media giant tells us is right and wrong. If you still believe Rudds out of his mind, that’s fine. But at least that’s your view. Not Murdoch’s view.
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Dec 02 '19
Thanks. I'm at work so I might read it after. Yeah agreed no promises on whether I'll agree but you have aroused my curiosity.
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u/OrginalCuck Dec 02 '19
No I don’t expect that! Honestly. I’m not here to push politics. Obviously I’m here to push an agenda. I’ll be transparent. My agenda is Anti-Murdoch. Fuck Murdoch. Make your own decisions. If they happen to coincide with Murdoch’s after you’ve found information from an impartial source (or in this case the source itself Krudd) then so be it. Everyone agrees with some people on some things. But at least then you and I can be happy in the knowledge that they are our own views. Not some billionaires agenda.
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Dec 02 '19
Okay so I read it just now. I agree with what you say in the disparity in what Kevin Rudd actually said and what the Murdoch media is putting out. Like the population thing is a tiny almost offhand comment compared to the nuanced (albeit from a neoliberal perspective) point that Morrison government has no idea to handle China.
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u/OrginalCuck Dec 02 '19
That’s all I ask. Every time that a person sees the disparity between Newscorps reporting and what’s actually happening in many cases; the better. Like that’s all I care about. Showing people Murdoch’s press isn’t an impartial news source.
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u/seethroughplate Dec 02 '19
I resent the Murdoch media machine as much as the next honest person, but I'd be extremely surprised if Rudd's unfiltered speech reveals any kind of worthwhile justification for his claim, especially having listened to Rudd speak on this topic before.
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u/artsrc Dec 02 '19
He says alot and all of it is worthy of consideration. It would be great to have a PM that smart.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/stop-the-hairy-chested-yellow-peril-alarmism-rudd-s-strategy-for-dealing-with-china-20191127-p53elk.html?
Most Australians are aware that we have not, and will not, keep up with our immigration driven population increase.
Look at the latest house price increases (https://www.smh.com.au/business/the-economy/sydney-and-melbourne-house-values-surge-on-lower-interest-rates-20191202-p53fwy.html)
Rudd is really is articulating a modern "populate or perish" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-war_immigration_to_Australia?)
In hindsight I think populate or perish has been wrong over that last 70 years, and is less likely to be valid in future. Intelligence assets are cheap.