Australia Worried By Falling Birth-Rate

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31080, 8 June 1966, Page 9

Australia Worried By Falling Birth-Rate

W Z PA -Reuter—Copyright) SYDNEY, June 7. In a world facing the crisis of a population explosion, Australia is one of the few countries where under-population is a national threat The falling birthrate is currently a matter of great national concern, and one expert has claimed that without drastic family planning changes, or a huge increase in immigration, Australia’s population— at present about 11.5 million —will never reach 14 million. Mr W. C. Wentworth, M.P., predicted recently that Australia’s growth-rate would come to a halt before the 14 million figure was reached, and said that from then on the country’s numbers would dwindle. Last year the Australian birth-rate dropped to the lowest level since 1942. Over the last five years it has fallen from 22.8 births per 1000 people to 19.6. Causes Discussed The decrease in fertility coincides with the coming of the pill, which was first widely available in 1961, but many other factors are currently being blamed for the missing babies. The Minister of Social Services, Mr I. Sinclair, has gone so far as to put the blame on poker machines. He said that the machines, with other diversions, had given parents less incentive for “family togetherness.” Television, the growing number of clubs, 10 p.m. closing, and working wives have all been blamed for the falling birthrate, as well as the pill. But more and more people are convinced that the fault lies with the simple matter of economics, and there is increasing pressure on the Federal Government to boost its social security payments in a bid to get more babies. Mr Sinclair has said that the climbing cost of living is only a secondary—though contributing factor—to the decline in the birthrate. He continues to blame the poker machines, and says: “In other countries, financial incentives for people to have more babies don’t seem to work.” Some experts agree and say that there is a world-wide

trend among the people of affluent and advanced countries to keep their families down to under four children.

They say that increased child endowment payments would not produce the desired effect, and that it would be a waste of taxpayers’ money to try to induce Australians to have more children by this means.

But other experts have produced figures indicating that the birth level is proportionally higher in countries with a higher child endowment. It has been pointed out that while New Zealand’s birthrate is also falling, the current rate is still higher than that of Australia. New Zealand’s 15s a week for each child is much more generous than Australia’s endowment, which starts about 4s (N.Z.) for the first child rising to £l3 4s (N.Z.) a month for a family with six children.

A group of doctors in Victoria recently urged the Government to increase maternity allowances and child endowment, and to grant marriage loans to young couples as part of “an effective population policy.” The doctors, who said they were “alarmed at the disastrous fall in the birthrate” said hundreds of women who requested oral contraceptive prescriptions told them they would like to have more babies but could not afford them. Working Wives The economic aspect of the argument is further demonstrated by recently published figures which show that 1,270,000 women (a record) are now employed full time in industry, commerce and the professions. A treasury survey estimated that at the current rate, 28 per cent of the total Australian work force would be women in five years. The survey predicted that 25 per cent of all married women aged from 25 to 60 would have full time jobs by 1971.

Supporting the economic argument, a “Sydney Morning Herald” reader wrote in a letter this week: “Indeed, it is becoming more apparent to fathers and mothers of children (as opposed to “experts” in family life) that the greatest luxury any man may wish

to afford himself in this day and age is to raise a few children in his own home, with his wife remaining at home to care for both house and family."