Australian doctors in population push
8 February 2011
Source: The Age (Australia)
AUSTRALIAN doctors are addressing population growth with a new health campaign targeting general practitioners and their patients.
The Doctors' campaign poster raising awareness of population pressures.
© Doctors for the Environment Australia
Advancing Australia Fairly?
The Doctors for the Environment Australia group has sent a poster titled ''Advancing Australia Fairly!?'' to about 24,000 GPs this week to outline the health impacts of the nation's increasing population.
The poster shows an oversized boot crushing a tree. On the sole of the boot is the statement ''Population growth, more of us, less for all''. The poster asserts that ''population pressure impacts on cost of living, food and water security, traffic congestion, productive farmland, social cohesion and quality of life''.
Population growth in Australia
A spokesman for the group, Dr George Crisp, said the campaign came as Australia's population growth rate exceeded that of India and Cambodia and was ''harming our quest for liveable communities''.
It also coincides with the federal government seeking feedback on the challenges and opportunities stemming from Australia's growing population.
Dr Crisp said his group, which has about 500 members, was particularly annoyed that the federal government's issues paper on a sustainable population strategy for Australia did not include a scientific review of what an ideal population for a healthy Australia would be in the future.