12   POPULATION GROWTH

The order of the day having been read for the resumption of the debate on the motion of Mr Ripoll—That this House notes that:

(1)    the Intergenerational Report predicts Australia’s population may reach 35.9 million by 2050;

(2)    population growth continues to be centred around Australia’s capital cities;

(3)    the electorate of Oxley contains parts of Ipswich East, one of the statistical areas that has seen the largest population increases in Australia between 2004 and 2009;

(4)    continuing population growth is placing pressure on the sustainability of Australian cities and the lifestyles of their residents;

(5)    a ‘business as usual’ approach to planning and development will no longer be sufficient for the future needs of Australian cities;

(6)    building Sustainable Cities must become a policy priority for all levels of government; and

(7)    the future sustainability of Australian cities must include a need to ‘decentralise’ the capital cities and encourage major employers, such as government departments, to regional and outer urban centres ( see item No. 2, Votes and Proceedings )—

Debate resumed.

The time allotted for private Members’ business having expired, the debate was interrupted, Mr Alexander was granted leave to continue his speech when the debate is resumed, and the resumption of the debate was made an order of the day for the next sitting.