As Australia's population approaches 25 million, people begin to question whether this is a good thing. If you believe in our politicians and businesses, this may be a good thing, because they say Australia needs population growth to continue to grow our economy.
But neither party has a population policy, so they haven't thought carefully about how many people Australia can sustain.
"it's not a question we're good at answering, so we have to keep asking questions," said James Ward (James Ward), an associate professor at the University of South Australia.
One factor to consider is food. Ward believes Australia will still have enough food to feed its citizens today if it builds a wall to prevent the entry of overseas agricultural products, but that is not always the case.
The water conservancy and environmental science expert said Australia imports a lot of fruits and vegetables, but also sends food abroad, particularly grain products.
"We may have to change our eating habits, but based on our agricultural system, we may be able to support the current population," Ward told news.com.au.
But the thorny question is how to increase the population without expanding food imports. To do so, Australia must consider its agricultural production and how much food everyone eats.
Australian farmers now rely on imported nitrate to fertilize the soil because most of the country's land is low in phosphorus.
"despite the size of the continent, most of the land is not productive due to lack of water," Ward said. The land is not very fertile either, because it is too old, and most of it is barren. "
This may explain why there were only a few hundred thousand aborigines in Australia before Europeans settled.
Although nitrate can eventually continue to be produced in Australia, there are other restrictions.
Any growth in agriculture must also consider how to deal with soil degradation and further loss of biodiversity. This will eventually have a negative impact on future grain production.
"We need to run farms in a more sustainable way so they can last for a long time," Ward said.
Australians may also need to eat less or even change their diet to support a larger population.
"at present, we have the highest per capita consumption rate," Ward said. We are one of the countries with the highest per capita consumption of meat, which requires more land and resources to produce. "
"if we don't spend so much, our land can feed more people. So there's a situation where we can have more people, but only if we significantly reduce our food consumption. "
Ward said there should be a careful discussion of population growth and how many people should be developed in Australia, weighing people's food needs, infrastructure, housing and employment needs.
"We need to talk about this because we can't grow sustainably," he said.
At present, much of Australia's economy is driven by a growing population, creating demand for new housing and infrastructure. Many people are now employed in these industries.
As Australia's population approaches 25 million, Liberal Senator Dean Smith (Dean Smith) this month called for a review of domestic population policy.