The Age by Josh Gordon
June 27, 2010 - 3:00AM

“PRIME Minister Julia Gillard has declared she does not believe in a ''big Australia'', signalling a major shift in policy on the nation's burgeoning population growth.

In her first significant policy break from the Rudd-era, Ms Gillard said the nation should not ''hurtle down the track towards a big population''.

''I don't support the idea of a big Australia with arbitrary targets of, say, a 40 million-strong Australia or a 36 million-strong Australia. We need to stop, take a breath and develop policies for a sustainable Australia.

''I support a population that our environment, our water, our soil, our roads and freeways, our busses, our trains and our services can sustain.''......

......Australia's population has been growing faster than some developing countries, including the Philippines, Malaysia, India, Indonesia and Vietnam.

''It is a debate about planning affected by many factors, water supply, open space, infrastructure, ensuring the appropriate tax base to support our ageing population … the need for skills and the need to preserve a good quality of life,'' the new PM said........

........''Having a smart and sustainable population, coupled with the right skills strategy, will help improve this imbalance.''

Any move to cut significantly Australia's migration intake would anger business groups, which support strong population growth to keep the economy growing and fix skills shortages.....”

http://www.theage.com.au/national/gillard-rejects-big-australia-20100626-zb1g.html