underpopulation case study : Australia Flashcards
(3 cards)
1
Q
why is australia considered underpopulated
A
- population of 24 million & the area of Australia is roughly around 7.7 million km squared
(6th largest country in land area) - population density : 3 people per km square which makes it a sparsely populated country (one of the lowest figures globally)
- low population growth rate with a natural increase of just over 0.7% yearly
2
Q
why aus growth rate is so low?
A
- most population located on 2 coastal regions (southeast and southwest)
so most interior of country is inhospitable - population is well educated & has knowledge on contraceptives
= decrease in birthrate - country has a well developed infrastructure & a relatively highly skilled population that focuses on their careers
- population wants a good quality of life that’s expensive
so many choose not to have children
3
Q
problems of underpopulation for aus
A
- low level of production and low level of exports
- oil production is 4.82 barrels per day compared to 9.02 billion barrels per day - shortage of workers
- due to low infertility and replacement rates
- and with aging population retiring = lower optimum productivity
- Boston Consulting Group - predicts a shortfall of 2.3 million workers by 2030 - resources underused
- Northern territory is rich with energy (e.g coal, natural gas, agriculture, business, other industries) - high taxes
- tax taken from individuals and businesses is one of the highest in developed world
- since less people paying tax & 43% of labour force will be due to retire in next 20 years
= high taxes are placed on lower and middle income earners - rising conflicts
- w/ aus labour shortages — likely to be more attractive to foreign immigrants
- if too many come in, locals may feel culture is threatened w/ many non english speakers (causes problems) - closure of public services
- schools, hospitals, transport links may close w/o enough ppl to support them
