Wow, what a load of tripe.
Our death rates double in the next 25 years and fertility will not.
As a nation ages they adopt and anti-immigration, close the door behind you' attitude and the author certainly seems to promote that.
By 2015, 1.2 million Aussies will celebrate their 65th birthday and 80% will require full or part pensions. Shame they introduced super 20 years to late!
Which generation created the term SKIN, oh yes, the boomers!
"The greater problem that Australia should be facing is the increasing proportion of younger people who require support and are unemployable for many reasons, from minimal brain damage through drugs and accidents, to inadequate literacy." What a heap of crap! Really the boomers will need to adjust their attitudes quickly.
I could go on, but arguring with data that is over 10 yerars old and an author who has no understanding of demographics, seems a little pointless. For the recorde, the ME generation is the boomers!

dempografix,

If you think that either population or consumption can grow without limit on a finite earth, you need to look up your old high school math teacher and ask him or her to explain exponential functions.

Divergence
You misunderstand me. We need to take the detox. Reduce immigration, reduce government, plan for a sustainable economy (flat or negative). It is not the western nations or the developed nations that have the masses population growth. 1/3 of the growth over the next 90 years will be due to increased longevity, not more babies.
Dear Val, has her head in the sand and simply saying that the fiscal challenges created by an ageing nation do not exist, is very dangerous indeed. We need a Family Assist Part C, when a family can take in a pensioner, get their approx $10k rent tax free and get a $5k benefit form the govt. 23% of our homes now are lone occupants and that is projected to rise to 33%. What a disaster in the making! For the principal place of residence of a pensioner, any value over $750k needs to be asset tested and reverse mortgages offered exclusively from the govt with a 25% equity guarantee. Death taxes need to be reintroduced, capital gains on the principal place of residence, owned under 10 years, needs to be 33%. Anti-speculations laws and yes this will all hurt, however the alternative is far worse. Negative gearing will go as the boomers retire and no longer need it. HECS needs to be abolished and cancelled for those who emigrated and have been away for longer than 5 years. 100,000 Aussies left last financial year permanently. Should I go on?

GST needs to go to 20% and the tax free threshold for PAYG needs to go to 35K. Increase pensions and welfare accordingly. Massive taxes on caravans and 4wds to stop the wastage of capital that the boomers will need to survive their entire lifespan. Many have not planned to live as long as they will and terms like SKIN need to be crushed out.

The aged need to go from success to significance and the youth from exclusion to inclusion.

Innovation needs govt support and risk must be fostered.

On consumption, private cars need to be shared and the community spirit dug up out of its grave. Kill of the set top box stupid deal for pensioners and give them cash for electricity and rates and food. Personal consumption of health services also needs a cap for individuals and health services flipped back to in home care and prevention. No more hospitals, just more doctors and nurses and the ability to get to the people. Many old people blame the younger generations for their consumption, yet you stole their great australiajn dream of owning a home. They went out and got the biggest mortgages they could to make the biggest gain because of the bs they were fed. Houses always go up is false. We need to stop counting international students in our population growth numbers as from 2006, if they were if they have been here longer than 12 months. 66% of our NOM is temporary visa holders! Stop calling people with mortgages, home owners as real outright home ownerships rates have fallen over the last 2 decades. Ok, I am on a rant....lol

Got this off the net.

The one thing I am constantly seeing in ALL of this mess is this . . . . finger pointing at others. So far, apparently the "I's" haven't done anything wrong but boy, the "you's" and the "they's". Have "they" ever screwed things up!!

I sometimes imagine 10 people in a boat at sea with one at a time steering. That one person happens to run into a rock, the boat gets a hole and starts to take on water. The eight of the remaining nine stand away and try to decide who appointed THAT idiot to steer and the ninth person says "Not to worry!! I can swim."

I have been around a few years (Boy have I!!) and this IS the worst mess this country has been in in ALL those years, minus WW2, and WE . . . . . all of us over about 50 . . . . . , pointed the country in this direction because as my sister said to me once, (as if HER life was hell) "MY kids are going to have it BETTER than I did!!" LOL Last month she said, "I just don't understand my grandkids!! Their parents give them EVERYthing and let them do as they please!!" Ah, ya mean kinda like YOU did with your kids??

We lack and refuse to accept responsibility and we are quickly losing our pride, honor and world standing but hey!! As they say in The French Quarter, "Let da Good Times Roll Cheri!!" But BOY, when this party ends I just hope we can all still smile. I "think" I'll be able to.