Miscellaneous comments from 20 September 2010

Tuesday 21 Sep 8:30pm SBS ONE
How many people can live on planet earth?
Esteemed naturalist and broadcaster Sir David Attenborough takes a look at the problems we face as a continuously growing species. On a journey from Mexico to Spain, China to Rwanda, ecologists, demographers, farmers, engineers and family planning clinicians report on the enormous challenges of dealing with humans in ever increasing numbers. Full Synopsis. Join the SBS forum discussion.

Population growth is not the fundamental environmental problem, but our greed and over-consumption, said Canon Sandy Grant, Dean of Wollongong, at General Synod this week. This was said in an interview by Roland Ashby reported in "Over consumption, not over population, threatening planet's survival" in The Melbourne Anglican, Canon Grant said that while he accepted the overall tenor of the motion that "population growth was unsustainable" it was not the fundamental issue, arguing that the biblical injunction to be fruitful and fill the earth should be considered as part of theological reflection on the matter! Sounds like a contradiction, and like religious pontification actually. He asks people to "turn from human selfishness and greed." Surely it is greed that is adding to our woes by stealing from future generations. Consumption increases with increasing populations and is consuming the planet. He should explain just what part of consumption we should reduce. Dr Rachel McFadyen of Brisbane said that: "If the Australian population goes on increasing then the amount of food we can export will decrease.... good fertile land will be covered by roads and housing". Fortunately, other church leaders showed more enlightened and realistic attitudes. Being "fruitful and multiplying" is what the human race has been doing too successfully and for too long. Growth can't go on forever, not on a finite planet. Even Noah not just saved his own family but pairs of animals for the Ark! There must be parallels for today.

Irate students may not go home, lawyer David Bitel warns in the Australian's story Irate students may not go home, lawyer David Bitel warns of 24 September: TENS of thousands of foreign students may try to stay in Australia illegally now that stricter rules have dashed their hopes of permanent residency. "In two to three years' time, what the government will find is there will be tens of thousands of illegals out there," said Sydney immigration lawyer David Bitel. "People are not just going to go (home). They had an expectation (of permanent residence). They're furious. They came here, they paid thousands of dollars." Foreign students are the defacto "boat people". The majority who come here confess that residency in Australia is part of their intention of studying here. Refugees arriving by boat are a smoke screen to confuse the immigration issue. Most people arrive by plane, including refugees, economic migrants and students. With climate change and overpopulation and poverty embracing the planet, we can't afford complacency. We need to protect our borders so that communities learn to live within their "carrying capacity". This is more likely to happen if immigration is not an option! In the post war years, Australian universities would sponsor students from developing countries so that they could help economic development from where they came. This was the Colombo Plan. Now Australia is so impoverished that we can't afford to educate our own youth so that we need to lure students here, with the "carrot" of residency, so their fees support our universities and colleges? Students should not be able to morph into residents. We should fund our educational facilities adequately, and they should not be defacto immigration back-doors to Australia! The 1951 UNHCR refugee convention, created to deal with the displacement of people in World War II, should be revised or abandoned. It has become a way of entering our country in search of economic opportunities and to escape population pressures in their own countries. This is what we don't want here, but Julia Gillard is now under pressure from Treasury to abandon her dismissal of a "big Australia"! The department has told the Prime Minister rapid population growth is both "inevitable" and a key part of Australia's adjustment to the resources boom. (See, also,ALP urged to embrace growth of 25 September by David Uren in The Australian.) Despite the fact that surveys say that at least 80% of Australians don't want more people, we have no say! Even our elected leaders are being overwhelmed by the pro-growth powers invested into government.

Mr Brumby has promised $42 million to help the homeless in Victoria. His government's decisions created the problem in the first place by boosting our population growth to third world rates. This in turn has "improved" housing prices by increasing demand, and now public money must be spent on trying to help the homelessness. How can families afford housing? The cost of even "affordable" housing is out of reach to many families, and families are increasingly being made homeless. They are the silent victims of growth and poor policies. Brumby's legacy is one of lack of transparency, democracy, rising costs and decreased liveability in Victoria. All the "shortages" of land, housing, infrastructure, water, transport, and higher energy costs, are due to population growth for the benefit of property investors, developers and political sponsors.

Warning: get ready to pay for carbon.

The ''red book'', which landed on Wayne Swan's desk the morning after the election, also warns the $43 billion national broadband network carries ''significant financial risks'', that the strong economy could fuel inflation and the rapidly rising population projections both parties disavowed during the election campaign were largely unavoidable.

During the campaign both parties emphasised the need for a ''sustainable'' population, but Treasury says strong population growth will continue for at least the next 15 years.

'Net immigration figures well in excess of that low number are probably inescapable,'' Treasury says, adding that strong population growth ''is not necessarily unsustainable … it need not adversely affect the environment, the liveability of cities, infrastructure and service delivery'', so long as governments planned well.

Do they really care if it is "sustainable" or not? Our planet is shrinking, and yet we are growing! We each inevitably get a smaller piece of the shrinking "pie" with more population.

So we can have our cake and miraculously eat it too!

Read the article: Warning: get ready to pay for carbon in the Sydney Morning Herald of 25 Sep 10 by Lenore Taylor and Jacob Saulwick.

Australia's kangaroo export industry says Arnold Schwarzenegger has come to its rescue in his role as Californian Governor. After a vote in the Californian Senate, Mr Schwarzenegger has signed into law an exemption allowing kangaroo products to be imported for the next five years. The exemption has come as a relief to kangaroo exporters from Australia. In 2007, the industry was granted a three-year exemption from Californian legislation which bans importation of exotic animal parts. That arrangement had been due to expire at the end of this year. Ray Borda runs Macro Meats, Skins and Leather, based in Adelaide, and says the exemption is great news for those in the industry who have faced tough times in recent years, mainly due to prolonged drought and the global financial crisis. If you can understand like an Adidas or Puma or Diadora or any of those or even just fashion shoes or ladies handbags, motorcycle apparel, golf gloves, if a manufacturer is restricted to where they can go in the US, they generally will lose a little bit of interest, he explained. [They] can use this unique leather now and we're pretty upbeat about that. That was a pretty much an injection that we needed. He said the benefits would also extend to marketing products in Europe. Executive officer of the Kangaroo Industry Association of Australia, John Kelly, said it took a big lobbying effort to be granted a five-year extension. It's a very significant reason for some of the grey hairs popping out up above my ears, he laughed. The Californian legal system is complex and has a significant number of problems, one of which is that California has an enormous budget deficit, so getting them to look at any sort of legislative issue in California apart from the budget has been extremely difficult. It involves ... a lot of informing their politicians of the real issues behind the kangaroo industry, how it operates and how sustainable it is, the extensive level of government control, how many kangaroos there are and all of the positive environmental benefits which harvesting kangaroos delivers to this land. Mr Kelly said sporting boots were a big seller in California. The most important aspect of the market for us is in fact soccer boots, he said. California is probably the largest single market for soccer boots and many of the best soccer boots are made from kangaroo leather, so it was very important to retain that market. Mr Kelly conceded the trade battle would have to be fought again. A few years down the track we're going to have to have a look at it again and try to get them to bring in a new piece of legislation with no sunset clause to give us permanent, ongoing, forever access to the place, he said. Read the article ABC You can view the full announcement by following this link: Live Export Shame Regards, The Live Export Shame Forum Team. Contact Arnold Schwarzenegger

Download "Red Book" from Treasury, here: http://www.treasury.gov.au/contentitem.asp?NavId=002&ContentID=1875 Sheila Newman, population sociologist

Following the announcement by the State Government in December 2008 to build a freeway/tollway connecting from the Western Ring Road to the Eastern Freeway, Friends of Banyule was formed. They are a not-for-profit community organisation dedicated to the protection of the natural spaces in our community that are threatened by the proposed freeway/tunnel/viaduct. There is a public meeting Wednesday 6th October, The Centre, Ivanhoe at 7.15. The strategy pays little regard to the fact that outer urban residents suffer most from a lack of public transport, or to the need to address a decline in rail freight capability. Instead, this plan provides enthusiastic support for our government's wish list of new roads in outer Melbourne and elsewhere. The issue of population growth is very much related to the planned freeway here in Banyule. As Melbourne's population increases the Government continues to make land available in the outer suburbia without any functional infrastructure. River parks such as those of the Banyule Wetlands and within the Yarra Corridor are a vital area for wildlife, rare migratory birds and protected species of flora, with large areas currently under protection by Banyule Council. Recently a koala spotted near the ovals at Banyule Flats Reserve, in the fenced off area of Banyule Wetlands - sitting in a tree, happily eating Eucalyptus leaves. The noise and pollution and disruption would be devastating on the sensitive environment and wildlife that habit the area. See some photographs taken at Banyule Flats Sign the Petition against the Freeway through Banyule

1st October, 2010 Thank you for you email concerning population policy. I apologise for lateness of my reply, but due to the large amount of correspondence I receive I can not respond as quickly as I would like and regrettably there is always a delay. The Australian Greens believe that population policy should not be driven by economic goals or to counter the effects of an ageing population. As population is a complex issue, while we want a sustainable relationship between humans and the environment by taking action in Australia, including planning, consultation and a whole of government approach, to improve equity in consumption levels and resource and technology use; and globally, to improve social and economic equity and promote programs that empower women. In March of this year, Greens have moved a motion calling on the Government to establish an independent National Inquiry into Australia's Population to 2050. Australia's population should be determined by the capacity of our environment and our infrastructure. Immigration should not be stopped. In fact Australia should increase its humanitarian immigration program, but we need to reduce our skilled migration program and balance that reduction by investing in skills training for Australians. National population policy is the responsibility of government; it should be responsive to national and global factors. Global population is expected to grow from 6.8 billion people now to 9.2 billion by 2050 and Australia should be taking a lead in finding global solutions. (my comment: does that mean we should be a resource to ease global population pressure?) The motion was as follows: Motion calling for a population inquiry: (1) That the Senate- (a) notes that: (i) global population is expected to grow from 6.8 billion people now to 9.2 billion in 2050, (ii) Australia's population size and capacity to sustain population growth at the current rate is an issue of national significance that requires a national population policy and strategic plan as a matter of urgency, (iii) as a wealthy nation, Australia is disproportionately able to influence and slow global population growth, and (iv) there is growing public debate about the question of population size; and (b) calls on the Prime Minister (Mr Rudd) to establish an independent national inquiry into Australia's population to 2050, which is to report by 1 July 2011. That, in establishing the inquiry: (a) the chair and panel of the inquiry be appointed with cross party support to ensure independence; (b) sufficient funds are allocated to ensure that the inquiry holds public hearings in all capital cities and major regional centres across Australia; and (c) the terms of reference for the inquiry include: (i) the impact on Australia of the growing global population and how best Australia may affect it, (ii) the development of a plan for a population that can be best supported in Australia within and then beyond the next 40 years, taking into account technology options, infrastructure, patterns of resource use and quality of life considerations, (iii) the environmental, social and economic sustainability of Australia's population in the short-, medium- and long-term, (iv) the value of a whole-of-government approach to population incorporating consideration of immigration and family policies, (v) making recommendations of national policy options in relation to population including, taking into account regional and local perspectives, and (vi) any related matters. Yours sincerely, Sarah Hanson-Young Australian Greens Senator for South Australia

Monash University is poised to slash about 300 staff and shave $45 million from next year's budget as a nationwide slump in international student enrolments begins to bite. The reason is that less international students are being lured here because some doors have been closed to immigration. Is is also due to high dollar, and strong competition from the United States, Britain and Asia. New rules will make it harder to get residency! In another ominous sign for the nation's multibillion-dollar education industry, Monash has predicted a fall of 10 per cent or more in its foreign student enrolments next year. www.theage.com.au/national/education/foreign-students-in-retreat-20101013-16k03.html Interestingly, we know a PhD student from Peru studying at Monash and she is amazed and surprised that there were hardly any "Australians" there!