Australia's population rises to 20.3 million
The population of Australia rose 1.1% to 20.3 million, thanks to a quarter of a million babies born and a stream of new immigrants, the country’s official statistician reported today.
For the year to the end of March, there were 251,900 births and 131,600 deaths, said the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
The number of births was a slight increase on recent years, the bureau said, but did not give detailed figures.
The rise follows a call in May last year from Treasurer Peter Costello for Australians to have more babies as a way of reversing a declining birth rate and looming skills shortage.
The government has been paying new mothers 3,000 Australian dollars (€1.895) for each new baby born after July 1, 2004.
Announcing the payments in May 2004, Costello, a father of three, told prospective parents: “You go home and do your patriotic duty tonight.”
He said two children per couple was not enough to combat the effects of an ageing population: “You should have … one for your husband, one for your wife, and one for your country.”
As well as the baby boom, Australia’s population in the year to March 31 was boosted by net migration of 110,000.
