When GDP per capita flatlines or declines it is a sign that population growth is not helping. That is lost on business lobbyists who see immigration as a driver of relentless economic growth. Politicians are easily blackmailed and open the doors to more people. It's not just the building industry but what I'd call the Concern Industry who bring in unskilled non-English speaking people to make themselves feel good. Meanwhile those already here get slightly poorer or have less amenity. In future the criterion should be whether the influx is likely to keep reducing per capita GDP. That could mean no more net migration.

Globalisation, mass immigration and compulsory superannuation all lower wages. A recent report showed that Keating's super scheme takes $20 billion away from wages.

Yes, because flawed trickle-down economics can't stand on its own to increase demand!

And needs pernicious population growth to prop up demand. And similar to most ponsey schemes inasmuch as you need to be pushing it in at the margins in order to get something back out.

And done by also allowing debt to ballon and ballon until it can ballon no longer! Thus we have a thirty-plus year infrastructure deficit and over crowed gridlocked cities not fit for purpose.

Made manifestly worse because those in charge WILL NOT address entirely unnecessary and counterproductive poverty. But create or maintain it to keep a lid on wages growth! It's the sort of economic management you get when the inmates have taken over and are running the asylum!

Moreover, like conspiracy theorists, convinced they are right and on the right track and helped by the electoral system that obligates the dullards to also vote and basically elect various fundamentally flawed governments with mountainous flawed policy paradigms ad managed by even more flawed power junkies!

And I know you know what and who they are.

Were this not demonstrably so!? There'd be very different outcomes!
TBC. Alan B.

Cont.
If we want to draw down debt all while growing the economy and wages growth!?

Then we are left with no other choice than to make what money is in the economy do seven times more work than the current economic management model allows.

And not possible with our current foreign investment and the insane privatisation of our best income-earning assets!

Only cooperative capitalism allows every one dollar to take full advantage of normal economic flow on factors and do the work of seven or more. And as we embrace more and more funded and facilitated cooperative capitalism we can garner a larger tax revenue and attack endemic poverty. which also translates to large and larger budget surpluses!

Co-ops were the only free market, private enterprise business model that survived the Great depression largely intact! And because they were and remain the most efficient and productive business model!

Add on MSR thorium and power prices as low or lower than 3 centsPKWH Plus deionisation dialysis desalination!

Moreover, tax reform manifesting as real root, branch and twig reform, i.e., A single, stand-alone unavoidable, flat tax of just 15%.

Plus also embrace SELF CANCELING social credit as our non-debt creating funding mechanism! Then no nation on earth, not replicating our economic model, could compete with us. AS A WORLD LEADING MANUFACTURING ECONOMY!

We need to embrace automation and advanced technology and ASAP! WE HAVE NO TIME TO LOSE!

And when we do all the above. Replete with absolutely essential decentralisation assisted by the rollout of rapid rail!

Both economic growth and true self-reliant independence (SECURITY) will be ours and needs to be done yesterday!

We just do not need more than natural population growth to grow the economic pie. Just the entirely missing rationalism and be attacking and removing poverty, not with charity or handouts but with wealth creation opportunities for all!

And only available via some form of the above!

Can't cherry-pick but need the whole package/plan!
Alan B.

Great article, Eric, you say it all. Even so, nothing is going to change until more people start putting the major parties (and the Greens) last, with the sitting member last of all. The politicians will quickly lose their enthusiasm for Big Australia and big political donations (aka bribes) if it means being kicked off the Parliamentary gravy train. Their business mates can give them election funding and cushy, lucrative jobs after they leave politics, but they can't force you or me to vote for them.

Thanks Divergence. I fear you are right about the politicians. We in the environmental "movement" love to complain that politicians don't think long term, they only think about the next election, but they build train lines and toll roads that have a 50 year life. I suppose the difference is you can ride the train in a few years, the impacts of high population aren't felt for a long time. When they are felt there is a lot of other white noise, "bad planning," "over consumption," even global warming diverts attention.

I think the impacts of population growth are broader than the impacts of global warming, and population stabilisation would reduce global warming but the climate change protesters and the New York Times don't see it that way. Thanks for commenting