“I recommend you vote for the Sustainable Population Party on April 5”: Dick Smith

Dick Smith, AO has given public backing to the Sustainable Population Party’s ‘real growth’ agenda in Western Australia’s upcoming Senate election. Approaching his 70th birthday on 18 March, Dick Smith, entrepreneur and environmental campaigner said, “Population growth affects everyone and everything.”

Under tri-partisan Liberal, Labor and Greens policies, Australia's population is currently growing by over 1000 people per day, with Western Australia growing by over 1,500 people per week. Australia's population growth rate is nearly double the world average, with WA triple the world average. From a population of 23 million today, Australia is on target for 40 million by 2050 - and rising. Sustainable Population Party says let's slow down and aim to stabilise at around 26 million by 2050. We can also help other nations to do the same by increased foreign aid for female education and voluntary family planning.

Frustrated that no other party is willing to discuss the population issue, Mr Smith has put his name to the minor party’s election campaign, and helped fund a radio campaign to start this week.

Significantly, this is the first time he has publicly endorsed a political party at an election.

“I’m supporting the Sustainable Population Party in the WA Senate election. It’s simple. You can’t grow forever in a finite world. We're already running short of water! If we double the population everyone’s worth half as much. For example, we’d have half as much mineral wealth per person. We need real growth – in quality of life - not population growth. We need a sustainable Australia. I recommend you vote for the Sustainable Population Party on April 5,” said Mr Smith.

Peter Strachan, Senate candidate for the Sustainable Population Party said “We know about congestion on our roads as well as the enormous pressure population growth puts on our health system, schools, public transport, water and the environment.”

“Our quality of life is going downhill. Only the Sustainable Population Party addresses the root cause of our growing problems. WA needs real growth, not population growth. We need growth in quality of life, economic innovation, housing affordability, education, democracy and environmental sustainability, said Mr Strachan.