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Dick Smith warns Australian population will hit ‘crazy number’

Michael McLaren
Article image for Dick Smith warns Australian population will hit ‘crazy number’

Australia’s population is about to hit a milestone it previously wasn’t expected to reach until 2051.

The population is predicted to tick over 25,000,000 within weeks.

Entrepreneur Dick Smith tells Michael McClaren this level of growth is unsustainable.

“At the present growth rate, we’re going to end up at a hundred million at the end of this century when many of our grandkids will still be alive.

“And most people agree that a hundred million is a crazy number for Australia.

“It will probably mean a lot of poor people will never, ever have a job.”

Click PLAY below for the full interview

24,970,040

This projection is based on the estimated resident population at 31 December 2017 and assumes growth since then of:

  • one birth every 1 minute and 42 seconds,
  • one death every 3 minutes and 16 seconds,
  • one person arriving to live in Australia every 1 minute and 1 second,
  • one Australian resident leaving Australia to live overseas every 1 minute and 51 seconds, leading to
  • an overall total population increase of one person every 1 minute and 23 seconds.
Michael McLaren
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