Ivory Tower Ignorance

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Bob Birrell is, "a reader in sociology and a member of the Centre for Population and Urban Research at Monash University." According to Birrell, "Opinion in WA is firm that the State needs more migrants." With that as an opener, why would you trust the rest of his article? (Cut permanent migration to east cost, says academic, The West, 13 Jan 2011)

Oh, but we need more people to work in the WA mining boom, claim the money-before-everything mega-rich mining companies.

In the same edition of The West, Retail trade beats mining as biggest driver of jobs, reports Nick Butterly. So tell me again why "the mining boom" needs more people for its workforce?

Big business, in paid publicity releases, cries for more people. A steady trickle of letters to the editor point out that WA is -- along with the rest of the world -- already past its sustainable level of population.

If you're rich, you can buy your own island. And destroy a bit more of the natural environment, while protecting your own standard of living. Everyone else has to put up with the negative impact of population growth.

On 6 Jan 2011 a letter to the editor claimed that Arnold Schwarzenegger -- "arguably the greenest governor [of California] ever ... leaves the State [California] with record debt and unemployment." The writer, Rhys Winterburn, sees this as a problem.

Okay, record debt and unemployment are problems. Destruction of the natural environment is a bigger problem, a more permanent problem. Over-population is a bigger problem. Unsustainably high levels of use of water, food and other resources are problems, problems which will grow worse if our population continues to increase.

The beauty of nature is free. If we want to preserve some of that beauty, there is a cost. The cost may be money or time or power over others.

So far, we have been happy to sell natural beauty, to sell a pleasant lifestyle, to sell our high standard of living, all for twenty-nine pieces of silver (special discount, this century only).

Are we willing to give back some of the silver in order to retain some of the best bits of nature and living?

Or is Birrell actually right, that WA is keen to stuff the state past over-full, with more migrants.

Are we really that dead keen?

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