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Greens call for population inquiry

Story Added : 14th March 2010

The Greens have raised concerns about Australia's growing population and are calling for a national inquiry into the issue.

Greens Leader Senator Bob Brown has told Channel Ten he is writing to Prime Minister Kevin Rudd this week to ask him to set up an inquiry into the issue.

"So that politicians do have an idea of the carrying capacity of this country, it's infrastructure, it's ability to deal with those quite worrying projections of 35 million people by 2050," he said.

"We've got to do better than just say well let it happen."

Senator Brown also told Channel Ten he supports Mr Abbott's parental leave plan, which he does not expect would push up the birth rate.

"That's absolutely not been the case in Britain or in Sweden or in Canada where they have parental leave," he said.

"What we're aiming for and what Tony Abbott's now said is six months. But the Government's got this paltry 18 weeks."

Story Added by ABC.
Date Added : 14th March 2010

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