EXCLUSIVEDick Smith issues an urgent warning to Australia - and he wants something to be done before its too late
With more than 400,000 immigrants arriving in Australia in the last financial year, veteran businessman Dick Smith is one of many high-profile Aussies calling for the urgent stabilisation of Australias population before its too late.
With more than 400,000 immigrants arriving in Australia in the last financial year, veteran businessman Dick Smith is one of many high-profile Aussies calling for the urgent stabilisation of Australias population before its too late.
Sustainable Population Australia (SPA) has more than 17,000 signatures - including Mr Smiths - for its Say NO to a Big Australia! campaign, just months out from the federal election where immigration is expected to be a major talking point.
Were on our way to doubling our population, which will be a disaster for Australia, Mr Smith, 80, told Daily Mail Australia on Tuesday.
The philanthropist said neither the Government nor the Opposition has any plan to control Australias population growth while SPA has called for policies that see Australias population stabilise below 30million.
Every Australian family has a population plan. They can have 20 children in their lifetime, but none do, he said.
They all have the number of children they can give a good life to. So they all have a plan. But when it comes to as a country, we have no plan at all.
Despite his enormous wealth, the millionaire admits he worries for the future of his nine grandchildren in the face of record immigration in Australia.
He said the lack of a plan to tackle the issue is driven by big corporations.
Veteran businessman Dick Smith (pictured) is one of the many prominent Aussies who have signed a new position statement calling for the stabilisation of Australias population
More than 400,000 immigrants arriving in Australia in the last financial year. Bathers are pictured at Sydneys Bondi Beach last month
The billionaires who have doubled their wealth in the last 10 years, they just want more money, Mr Smith said.
And one of the biggest drivers of population growth is developer Harry Triguboff. Hes already worth $22billion (but) he constantly spruiks more immigration because he desperately wants more money.
In May, Mr Triguboff, the founder and CEO of home-building giant Meriton, called for more immigration.
The migrants we bring must be from everywhere, he said.
Many countries have residents who would be only too happy to come. Many people suffer overseas and they are often very well educated and used to hard work. We must have both of these.
But Mr Smith dismissed such talk, sarcastically suggesting this strategy would lead to just endless growth, I suppose, until we run out of food.
He pointed out that many politicians purport to want a lower level of immigration until they get to the point where they can do something about it, but choose not to, including John Howard, who was prime minister from 1996 to 2007.
Up until John Howards time, we had an approximate immigration of about 70,000 net a year for many decades, and that gave us a wonderful Australia where we could cope [and] housing was affordable, Mr Smith said.
That was the optimum number, about 70,000 a year, which is what I support. Now, its around 300,000 a year, or (in the 2022-2023 financial) year, it was 500,000.
Sustainable Population Australia has got more than 17,000 signatures for its Say NO to a Big Australia! campaign. A packed Bondi Beach is pictured
Mr Smith said the only people who benefit from very high levels of immigration are the extremely rich.
Its really good for the billionaires... the greed, theyll just make unbelievable amounts of more money, he said.
But for just about everyone else, [theyll be] worse off because the wealth of our country is fixed, its fixed from the mineral and primary resources we have.
Double the population and everyone is worth half as much.
Mr Smith warns living conditions will be bleak for future generations, who could be crammed into huge, Chinese-style apartments if immigration remains at current levels.
For the interests of our children and grandchildren, we should have a population plan. Its a dry, arid country and yes, I have no doubt we can squeeze 100million in here, but there will be a lot of really poor people, he said.
Theyll be crammed like termites and battery hens into high rises. Were already building our first high rise schools so they wont even have a school yard to play in.
So with a country thats got so much open space, we will end up with termite mounds and it will be a huge leap backwards because of our own stupidity.
Mr Smith dismissed the ridiculous notion that Australia needs mass immigration to curb a huge skills shortage across the country.
We should train people to fill those positions, he said.
Sustainable Population Australias (SPA) national president Peter Strachan agrees.
Australians are angry about the impact of rapid population growth on their lives and are frustrated that their voices are not being heard by our political leaders, he said.
Mr Strachan said the 17,000 signatures showed that Australians have spoken and are waiting for our federal leaders to meet us at the table.
Survey after survey demonstrates that most Australians want population growth to stop. Congestion, cost of living, the housing crisis, along with concerns for the environment and water security are just a few of the reasons why Australians are seeking real leadership on this issue, he said.
People are tired of having their voices dismissed by vested interests, including property developers, big business and, counterintuitively, many environment and conservation organisations.
