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Legislative Council - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2009-09-10 Daily Xml
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POPULATION GROWTH

The Hon. M. PARNELL (14:36): As a supplementary question relating to the minister's original answer, will the minister commit to bring back to this chamber details of how the government's population targets compare with the ABS population data and the ABS population projections?

The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY (Minister for Mineral Resources Development, Minister for Urban Development and Planning, Minister for Small Business) (14:36): As I have said, the ABS population data is fairly conservative. Essentially, it is based on historic—

The Hon. D.W. Ridgway interjecting:

The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY: I am not sure whether the ABS will release projections, but one would assume that they are based on historical data.

The Hon. D.W. Ridgway interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order, the Hon. Mr Ridgway!

The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY: The Hon. Mr Ridgway thinks he is an expert on statistics and he thinks that you always project from history. If we use the history of the Liberal Party and project it, it would be a very dim prospect for this state, indeed. However, what is happening, as I said earlier, is that the economy of this state is growing. It is performing better than most of the country and better than most of the world. That is why we have had, over recent years, greater population growth. I am happy to see what information is available in relation to—

The Hon. D.W. Ridgway interjecting:

The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY: What I think is a joke and probably tragic is that the attitude of members opposite seems to be that South Australia will always be a backwater; it will always be in a state of decline. We are talking about very modest levels of population growth. We are talking about half a million people over about 15 or 20 years. As I have said, the people of Brisbane get that in four or five years, and they cope with it. They are able to cope with it; they do not go around whingeing about all of the issues and whether or not they can cope—and Perth is the same.

Although I admit that the population goals for this state are very ambitious, in terms of South Australia's history they are very modest, indeed, compared with the sort of growth that is occurring in other parts of this country. In answer to the honourable members question, I am happy to see what information I can get.

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