Australia set for population explosion

Article Category: Demographics

By BN, 23 October 2009

Australia's population will rise from 22 million to 35 million by 2049, the Treasury has projected.

Commenting on the figures, treasury secretary Ken Henry existing population centres would see the most significant rises.

"On quite reasonable assumptions, we can imagine Sydney and Melbourne growing from four-and-half million and four million people today to cities of almost seven million," he said. "Brisbane, we think, will more than double in size to be four million people 40 years from now."

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd welcomed the news, saying he believed in a "big Australia". He continued, "I think it is good for us, it's good for our national security long term, it's good in terms of what we can sustain as a nation."