The age debate
Abbott and Gillard are right: population size does matter. But are they forgetting about the challenges to participation and productivity posed by Australia's ageing workforce?
The vital question of what constitutes a socially and economically sustainable Australia has emerged as one of the talking points of the 2010 election campaign. But there’s a problem. Our pollies are focusing on population size, when size isn’t the only thing that matters. Ditching Kevin Rudd’s vision for a “big Australia”, Julia Gillard has instead linked rapid population growth to a decline in quality of lif...