Population – more or less?

Sue Brooks April 8th, 2009

I received a well written email recently and think it worth posting. Makes a change from me rattling on….

Dear Cr Sue Brooks,
Do you think that the residents of Hervey Bay are looking forward to the doubling of their town’s population in 17 years’ time. The panic that ensued when Hamish threatened the town recently when it was realised that 10,000 people might have to be suddenly transported away from the danger of tidal surge, illustrates the limitations already imposed by the dual effects of ‘Mother Nature’ combined with the gross planning errors of the recent past. Imagine the chaos which would have ensued with just a couple of collisions on the Maryborough Road with 250 coach journeys each with 40 people and their baggage.

The pundits are telling us that sea levels are to rise by a metre by 2100 (A report in The Australian earlier this month). Even with current sea levels, maps published on the web show storm surge of a mere metre would inundate the whole of Eli Waters. (Some storm surges reach 5 metres.) Yet residential subdivisions and house construction continue to be approved in places which are just as vulnerable. Not only that amazes me but what puzzles me is where do such flood-prone residents now obtain flood insurance. Do they, like Victoria’s bush-fire victims, expect to be bailed out by charity?

Of course, most residents will not be aware of the DoHA population plans and projections, still less will they have signed the petition against the Draft South East Queensland Regional Plan and its aim to bring SE Queensland’s population to equal the sprawl of Sydney. Have you?  While the State and Federal Governments bang on about man-made climate change, they intend to create yet more heat sinks with more roofs and more black-top roads. Madness? No, apparently just the ‘normal’ planning procedures!

The demographers say we have to have continuous population increases to provide an enlarged tax base to support retirees. The logic escapes me. We all become retirees eventually; so what is so special today? Longer life span? In that case raise retirement age to 70. I worked and paid income tax till I was 70 and I’m nothing special. If I could get a part-time job even now at nearly 76, I’d take it. A start could be made to raise retirement age to 70 with public servants at all 3 levels of Government. Why not?

But with free trade and our wage costs legislated to be far above those of the rest of this part of the world, what jobs are going to replace those lost in the almost daily exit of industries to China, Indonesia, Thailand etc. Professor Ian Lowe talks about thousands of jobs to be created here by the new ‘Green Industries’. In his stunted economic philosophy, such jobs will not, apparently like others before them, be exported or need huge tax subsidies to be retained here. The only industry left free from Chinese competition is construction leaving Australia with the ridiculous scenario of having to build ever more houses and sub-divisions for ever increasing immigrants. This is Alice in Wonderland stuff!

I hope you are digging in your heels and refusing to go along with this madness, at least on the Fraser Coast.

Regards, Geoff

One Response to “Population – more or less?”

  1. # Sadmanon 09 Apr 2009 at 2:22 am

    Geoff,

    You could not be more right. There are a number of areas in Hervey Bay that should never have been built on. Greed and weak councils are the reason they have been.
    What about work? We already have an above average unemployment rate in this region. There are two reasons, one we do have a large number of retirees, but the more important one is we have no industry.
    What is worse, there is no reason for industry to come here, both road and rail is limited, the ability to supply large amounts of power are also limited. For industrial purposes water could be a problem added to which we are three hours fron any large city or port.
    What light industry we do have is scattered all over the place, we lack an industrial hub. But worst of all we, as a region, lack a future plan. We need an industrial hub, it has to be supplied with recycled water for industry, it need a large power supply both natural gas and electricity, it needs to be close to both the highway and rail line.

    Council should be subsidising rates in the estate for the first five years, this would encourage businesses to come here.
    Why even talk about it? We are bogged down in mediocrity.

    Sadman

Trackback URI | Comments RSS

Leave a Reply