Dick Smith to ABC: Don't shoot the messenger on population numbers

Sat, 2017-09-30 18:46 by quark

Dick Smith has started a campaign supporting the ABC TV news and current affairs as his favourite network, but wants them to show more balance when it comes to reporting population issues.

The Dick Smith Fair Go group launched a campaign on 27 September 2017, with newspaper advertisements in The Australian, the Canberra Times, the Land, The West Australian and others.

In the advertisements, Dick Smith quotes respected Canberra academic Mark O’Connor and his criticism of ABC TV news and current affairs for not showing balance when it comes to the population issue.

Dick Smith says, “A number in the media have criticised me personally for my stand, however I am just communicating what other experts are saying, but get no coverage on.”

“The ABC is my favourite television network, I watch it more than any other, and it was only after I read Mark O’Connor’s book Overloading Australia that I realised that ABC TV news and current affairs had been biased when it comes to covering the population issue,” Dick Smith said.

Dick Smith says “Our democracy can only work effectively if there is fair and open discussion on these issues. I have always been pro-immigration – it is what has made Australia such a fantastic place today. However I believe we should have a population plan, and therefore an immigration plan.”

“My plan is to get one of the major parties to have a population plan before the next election. Over 80% of Australians want this,” said Dick Smith.

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quark

Tue, 2017-11-14 19:26

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Melbourne housing "solution" on Red Symons program

A woman rang in to Red Symoms' breakfast radio program today to say she and her husband had found the solution to the housing affordability problem for her family. It went like this -We have quite a large block and the house is old -1949- . We have 3 adult offspring needing houses. We demolished the house and built 3 x 2 storey townhouses on the block. We live in one of the town house with number 3 son. This is temporary until we get a townhouse for ourselves somewhere else.- The question that was not asked was "What happens with the grandchildren?" This solution is a once- only as it takes advantage of the larger blocks of past which ordinary people do not have now It only temporarily solves the housing affordability crisis for one family and they are still worse off than they were. A block of land cannot be divided up ad infinitum. It won't even be able to be divided a second time! The next generation will be let's say 6 plus the original 3 adult offspring and their partners. There could be equal generosity on the other sides of each family but they would most likely need to cater for more than one lot of childRen and grandchildren. The pressure on land forcing people to look for solutions which may not be to their advantage is the immense population growth of Australian cities like Melbourne.

Sheila Newman

Wed, 2017-11-15 09:38

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Car park solution to Melbourne Housing problem

The family that subdivided their large lot, given the rate of population growth and the probable increase of the next generation, would have done better to build a parking lot tower, maybe with some bathroom and cooking facilities, so that future generations could pay to sleep in their cars. There is such a lack of entrepreneurship in our society!

Dick Smith to ABC: Don't shoot the messenger on population numbers

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Melbourne housing "solution" on Red Symons program

Car park solution to Melbourne Housing problem

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