"A nice example of the Replacement Rate Fallacy," writes Mark O'Connor, of Barry Maley's demographic dogma in "Birth Rate Bubble". (ABC Radio's Unleashed)Maley claims that, "Any nation needs to have a birth rate of not less than 2.1 children per woman to maintain its population." "Humans are not fruitflies where the generation of parents dies as their offspring are born," laughs O'Connor. "For instance, if India achieved so-called “replacement fertility” now, with all its couples in future averaging just 2.05 children, its population would ... double, adding an extra 1 billion people!"
"Let me return to my old primary school, St Joseph's convent [in Cloncurry]. Saint Mary McKillop, I'm sure, was just like my principal, Sister Thomas..." Bob Katter's book, while retrieving some good Australian ideas and paying its respects to our ancestors, also markets big population ideas uncannily like those of B.A. Santamaria.
A history of pronatalist policy in Australia from 1945-2000 reveals the seeds of today's push for bigger families. This is an interesting supplement to the drive for high immigration and a huge population in Australia. It also gives an account of the role played by The Movement (B.A. Santamaria) in the Australian Labor Party's long exile from government before Whitlam. Some interesting background on Labor Party figures currently in government or recently in opposition.
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