Deplorable AFR spouts “populate or perish” propaganda

Wednesday 4 January 2023

“Populate or perish” was a rallying cry of post-World War II Labor Immigration Minister Arthur Calwell as he sought to overcome domestic resistance to immigration.

For Calwell, immigration was the key to quickly boosting Australia’s population numbers in the interests of economic and military security.

At the time, Australia’s population was around 8 million versus nearly 26 million today. And yet the immigration shills at The AFR View continue to spout “populate or perish” bunkum on spurious economic grounds:

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About the author

Leith van Onselen is Chief Economist at the MB Fund and MB Super. He is also a co-founder of MacroBusiness. Leith has previously worked at the Australian Treasury, Victorian Treasury and Goldman Sachs.