Australians heed call to boost population

AUSTRALIA is in the grip of a baby boom, new figures showed yesterday, after the government urged couples to do their patriotic duty and "have one for your country".

Australia recorded 261,400 births in 2005, the highest number since 1992, the Australian Bureau of Statistics said, pushing the national population up to almost 20.5 million. The increase came after the treasurer, Peter Costello, urged Australian couples two years ago to have more children, saying they should have "one for mum, one for dad and one for the country".

"It was a light-hearted way of making a serious point, and I am delighted some families have been taking up the challenge," Mr Costello said yesterday.

The government has identified Australia's low fertility rate and ageing population as a key issue. A study has warned that the number of people aged 65 or older is set to double by 2042 and the number aged 85 or more would quadruple, while the number of working-age Australians will remain stable.

Mr Costello has also urged older people to remain in the workforce beyond the usual retirement age of 65, to counter what he says is Australia's demographic destiny.

In 2004, Costello introduced a baby bonus of A$3,000 (1,195), which is paid to the parents of each newborn child. The bonus will rise to 1,600 from July this year and 1,995 from July 2008.

The government has also introduced tax breaks to help parents who leave work to look after children, and a range of extra family payments.