Growing Australian population: What it means and what you said

‘Crazy’, ‘awful’ – one of Australia’s biggest concerns has been met with fury as the issue comes to a head. JOIN THE CONVERSATION

It’s the trendy new euphemism for transforming the city we love and the lifestyle we enjoy – and not for the better.

Australian cities are quickly becoming familiar with “densification”, a new term which means overdevelopment.

However you say it the truth is ugly – it conjures up images of endless rows of ill-conceived, towering apartment blocks overseeing concrete canyons swirling with dust and detritus, where citizens live in a state of perpetual shadow.

Mike O’Connor wrote about what the changing landscape really means for Australia – and readers were not pleased with the thought.

“Net overseas migration – the difference between people arriving and leaving – this year is expected to be 400,000 and next year 315,000,” O’Connor wrote.

“To place that in perspective the combined population of Cairns, Townsville, Mackay, Rockhampton and Toowoomba is 588,000 while Brisbane is home to around 2.5 million people.

“ … This exercise in mass migration also conveniently overlooks the extra strain that these numbers place on public hospitals, classroom sizes, public transport and road systems.”

Apartment blocks in Brisbane’s West End

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Ian

Plan, What plan? It’s a log jam getting into West end. Who wants to go there?

Wayne

You could be forgiven for thinking these modern apartment buildings are situated in Soviet era East Germany! These people need to move west!

Jason

But who can you vote for to end the crazy destruction of suburbs and the immigration Ponzi scheme.

Alf

Climate change is more urban compression, build high rise apartments along major corridors rather than tiny blocks and no trees creating the perfect heat absorber.

Em

In my street, 15 extra homes have been crammed in just one block since I purchased 25 years ago. No increase to infrastructure or services. Just more traffic, less space between houses shaped like boxes that now block the natural breezes I once enjoyed. But apparently this is progress. It’s awful.

Charles

I seem to recall not that long ago Brisbane had a severe water shortage. I take it all these new people will bring their own water bottles with them?

Mr Tickle

Don’t they understand why people are flooding out of Sydney and Melbourne?

Geoff

If it’s done right infill developments & greater density can add life to dead & dying locations. Brisbane CBD may never recover fully with increase working-from-home. More residential over office/commercial would add vitality there. Older suburban hubs with now deserted shops can get a real boost if redeveloped. But it must be done right.

Peter

I wish people would stop banging on about the ALP migrant numbers, it was exactly the same planned increase as the Liberals, the right wasn’t jumping up and down then, that’s right businesses supported that number then as in now.