How big do we want to be?
POPULATION GROWTH
WHAT a great article by Simon Bevilacqua (“All aboard the magical happiness train,” Mercury on Saturday, July 11). Our state is on track to meet the Government’s 650,000 population target nine years ahead of the planned 2050 date. Every day we see new and upgraded roadworks and residential estates and apartment buildings — evidence of growth. We are still unpopulated enough to be spacious and relatively uncongested and an attractive place to live, but try to find a political plan for preserving into the future those desirable attributes — there is none, only corporate beneficial growth stretching into a socially unplanned future.
Elected officials ignore the evidence and science and have us on a trajectory for a big Tasmania. The Major Projects Bill suggests our state will suffer more overdevelopment, environmental degradation and loss of amenity. Is that what we want? We need leaders to focus on problem solving rather than trying to speed up the growth treadmill. Our growth is indeed a runaway train but at least there is the Sustainable Australia Party for those interested in true sustainability and retaining some semblance of our quality of life. Susan Bowes
Lindisfarne if they’d rather, in response to the United Nations’ World Population Day, also on Saturday. The major political parties are united in their endeavours to promote their interpretations of growth, regardless of the consequences. Surely every party should have a long-term plan for the real benefit of humankind and our precious planet. The almost unknown Sustainable Australia Party aims for a sustainable environment (and population), secure jobs (via a more diverse economy), more affordable housing (for first homebuyers and renters) and better planning (to stop overdevelopment).
Surely the looming problems identified by Simon Bevilacqua should be at first admitted by our politicians, then followed by policies to progressively overcome them. I challenge each major party to comment. Peter Anderson
Launceston