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Dick Smith’s $1m prize to curb our growth
By Olga Galacho and John Masanauskas From: Herald Sun June 28 2010 2:00AM

Businessman Dick Smith says Australia can’t sustain a bigger population.

MILLIONAIRE former electronics guru Dick Smith will give $1 million cash to a
young person who designs the best population plan for Australia.

The businessman yesterday was “delighted” that new Prime Minister Julia Gillard
had announced she opposed a “Big Australia” and had created a ministry of
sustainable population.

Mr Smith fiercely opposed to immigration said he would devote the rest of his
life to educating other Australians including politicians about the need to
keep the nation’s population from exploding.

“When we design an aircraft it is built for 25 years of safety” Mr Smith said.

“But if we don’t have a safety plan for allowing the population to grow to 36
million by 2050 then we will all come crashing down.

“That is why I am announcing a $1 million award for a person less than 25 years
old to design a sustainability plan for our population” he said.

The ABC will screen Mr Smith’s documentary on population in August and the
businessman said he would make other announcements at that time about incentives
to limit the size of the nation.

There are now 22 million Australians and Mr Smith said if that number grew
beyond 26 million the nation could struggle to feed its own people.

“I am going to commit the rest of my life to this issue and to communicate to
Australians that they need to wean themselves off constant growth in the
economy too” he said.

Greater Melbourne grew by more than 93000 people last year – the biggest
increase of any capital and fuelled by record high immigration.

The City of Melbourne which includes the CBD and some inner suburbs will have
its 100000th resident some time over the next year.

The CBD’s population is now close to 20000 while a similar number live in
Docklands and Southbank.

The number of residents has grown by two-thirds over eight years and could reach
150000 by 2030.

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