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Dick Smith has taken out alarming full-page ads in newspapers across the country asking the government if it has a population plan and if it is sustainable.
The colorful businessman approached X on Wednesday with a copy of the advert and said it would run this week in The Australian, Daily Telegraph and The Sydney Morning Herald.
“I think it’s important for our leaders to tell us where we will end up with respect to population growth,” he wrote.
‘Most people agree that we should have a plan. “It will be interesting to see if we get any reaction.”
A record 518,100 migrants moved to Australia during the last financial year, and the Treasury’s Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook predicts 1.625 million migrants will move to Australia in the five years to June 2027.
Many experts fear the mass influx will put immense pressure on the country’s cost of living and on already overstretched government services.
Smith’s announcement to the Prime Minister and premiers asks “what is your population plan?”
The advert (pictured) will appear in The Australian, Daily Telegraph and The Sydney Morning Herald.
Businessman Dick Smith (pictured) has taken out full-page adverts asking the Prime Minister and First Ministers what their plan is for population growth.
He then goes on to say that First Nations existed in Australia for 60,000 years and never exceeded one million people.
‘Clearly [they] I knew there was a limit to growth on this finite earth.’
The ad then poses the question: “Do you also believe that growth has a limit?”
The population plan for every Australian was then discussed, saying that although people can have 20 children, “none do.”
“They wisely have the number of children they can give a good life to.”
The front ad asks politicians: “How many people can Australia give a good life to?”
‘Where will the extra fresh water, food and energy come from?’
Many Australians agreed with Smith in criticizing the government on this hot-button issue.
“Thank you for trying to hold them accountable,” one wrote.
Another said: “Spoiler alert: they don’t have any plans.”
‘Excellent question and good for you for calling on the government to come up with a plan. “Everything is very chaotic right now,” added a third.
Others disagreed with the businessman and explorer, calling his question “rubbish” and telling him to stay in his “lane.”
A record 518,100 migrants moved to Australia during the last financial year.
Dick Smith and his wife Pip pictured.
WA Planning Institute of Australia president Amanda Sheers told WhatsNew2Day Australia Smith was right to ask the government for a plan so she could know what the end goal is.
However, the urban planner added that a growing population can generate enormous benefits.
‘We wouldn’t have the Optus stadium [in Perth], For example. “It seems that benefits of this type are only obtained when the population increases,” he stated.
‘We wouldn’t have invited Coldplay to give a concert. Perth has just entered that realm and is benefiting now from the population we have that we didn’t have ten or fifteen years ago.’
Mrs Sheers agrees with Dick Smith in asking the Prime Minister about a national demographic target.
The planning institute has long been pushing for a national strategy because there is no global settlement strategy.
“We all need to know where growth is going and it should be a priority,” explained Ms Sheers.
“Plans need to be realistic and evidence-based in the first instance because people don’t want to live where there are no jobs, services and infrastructure.”