Ross Gittins has done a great job covering Sustainable Population Australia’s (SPAs) new discussion paper entitled “Population growth and Infrastructure in Australia: the catch-up illusion”, of which I was the lead author:
…despite the growth in the economy, on average our material standard of living is stagnant. All that immigration isn’t making the rest of us any better off in monetary terms…
Our business people have always demanded high migration because of their confidence that a bigger market allows them to make bigger profits.
Economists, on the other hand, are supposed to believe in economic growth because it makes all of us better off. They’re not supposed to believe in growth for its own sake.
This week one of the few interest groups devoted to opposing high migration, Sustainable Population Australia, issued a discussion paper that’s worth discussing. It reminds us that many of the problems we complain about are symptoms of migration.
The biggest issue is infrastructure… the discussion paper estimates that every extra person requires well over $100,000 of infrastructure spending.
When governments fail to keep up with this need – as they have been, despite a surge in spending lately – congestion on roads and public transport is just the most obvious disruption we suffer…
High immigration is changing the Aussie way of life. Before long, only the rich will be able to afford a detached house with a backyard.
Thank you Ross. You were always one of the mainstream media’s few shining lights on this issue, but unfortunately fell silent over the past few years as concerns of excessive levels of immigration blew up.
We need you writing frequently on this issue.
