According to Chief Minister Jon Stanhope, the official 50-year population projections show Canberra's population increasing steadily by 0.6 to 1.6 percent a year to reach 400,000 people by 2018 and 450,000 by 2030.
By 2057 it will be 550,000.
Given recent apparent misunderstanding of such projections it seems he has to stress the following point: These are not targets. They are not figures the ACT government are working to achieve or designing policy to promote.
They are simply reflections of what is currently happening to our population and what will continue to happen unless we take significant steps to change things.
Getting such projections is good news, because, without the figures we can't plan for what we know will happen, and, if we decide as a community that the projected figures are unacceptable, we can't take steps to change the future.
“Projections of the level and characteristics of the ACT’s future population are fundamental to quality policy development and informed decision making by the Government," the Chief Minister said.
Obvious really, but, demography is a relatively new discipline. Until recently this clear and simple reasoning was routinely overlooked by governments of all levels.
“The Government will use these statistics in its planning for future land releases and the provision of services such as schools, aged-care facilities, health centres and playgrounds,” he added.
Good thinking. Population figures and planning for land use and infrastructure needs are two sides of the same coin.
Each is pointless without the other. Getting the projections and failing to use them for planning is pointless.
And, similarly, trying to plan without knowing how many people you have to plan for is also pointless, especially as different age groups have different needs – children need schools, seniors need medical services, and so on.
Hasty and ad hoc responses to our increasing population are expensive in economic, environmental and social terms. Using this information to plan strategically for the future is the only intelligent option.
Catherine Carter |
Tuesday, 22 March 2011 12:30 AM |
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