Demographics
The Australian demographer, Bernard Salt, has calculated that of the 1.343 million women aged 25 – 34, only 86,000 single, largely heterosexual, well-off, young men were available after excluding those who were already married (485,000), in a de facto relationship (185,000), were gay (7,000), a single parent (12,000) or earning less than $60,000 per annum (568,000).
At the same time, many social scientists have observed that most young adults wish to marry, ‘but not just yet.’ This attitude is reflected in demographic trends. The median age of marriage has increased significantly over the past few decades.
A number of reasons have been suggested for the delay, including the fact that education now takes longer for many young adults and the higher costs of establishing a home, as well as the desire to be socially, economically and emotionally ready for a lifelong commitment. Family scholars also point to the fear of divorce, and the knowledge that marrying at a young age is associated with higher levels of marital breakdown.
Continue reading "The formula for a happy marriage, sort of…" »
Returning home for summer is a continuing novelty for me. This may be explained in part by the fact the Melburnian summer exists only in myth, much like the unicorn or Dennis Lillee.
Compared to the glorious and endless parade of 35-degree days in Perth, the southern capital is a pale and moody slouch. Yes, it may be the cultural, sporting, and nightlife epicentre of the nation, but not even Events Victoria could poach a decent summer.
Rain outside of winter does not make for happy tidings. As Thom Yorke croaked: “everything in its right place”. And that means, Melbourne, keep the damp in July and open up the summer goody bag sometime around December.
Continue reading "The real city rivalry: Melbourne v Perth" »
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tourist says:
Just, how long have you lived in Melbourne then if you have NEVER experienced 4 seasons in a day? Read more »
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Jason says:
Melbourne’s weather is MUCH better than what people give it credit for!!!!!! Many people actually find it desirable whether they admit it or not, and even in the Liveable City awards, Melbourne weather rates highly. It hardly ever rains (despite the ‘rainy Melbourne’ stereotype, it is actually dry here) and… Read more »
As Kevin Rudd welcomed his 100th boat last week, he also started to scramble on the even larger issue of his ‘Big Australia’.
The problem for Kevin Rudd is he seems to be repeating the same mistakes on both issues.
While some argue that concerns about increased boat arrivals is due to xenophobic fears of being overrun, there is a danger in impugning this motive. Every time Labor attacks the Coalition as racist dog whistlers for raising concerns about border protection, Kevin Rudd insults millions of Australians who share our concerns about Labor’s failures.
Continue reading "A population debate that Kevin Rudd has already lost" »
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gary wright says:
Am I the only one here who find the contributions of Clarke and Persephone misleading and patronising. I find their attempts to close down the debate and swamp their opponents somewhat curious. As to politics: I declare mine openly. Not a party member, left wing socialist, specialist in human rights… Read more »
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Don Clark says:
It’ll be interesting to see over the next couple of days how Messrs Abbott and Morrison sort out their differences. As of this afternoon, Abbott has been carefully backing away from his Shadow Minister’s position. Oh dear. And it’ll be interesting to see if any Punch authors or posters have… Read more »
Predictions for Australia’s population seem to be going up like bids at an auction.
Three years ago the Australian Bureau of Statistics predicted 28 million by 2050 and more recently Kevin Rudd has mentioned a figure of 35 million. Media reports in the last few days have put the figure at more like 40 million by 2050. Any advance on 40 million?
So where are these figures coming from? Many experts agree that the current focus on growing Australia’s population to 35 million or more by 2050 is not founded on sound science but on short term trends with a large dash of wishful thinking.
Continue reading "It’s time we had an actual discussion about population" »
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Asypegopy says:
«Jusqu’à présent, l’ mon nombres devenir n’t ne doit pas assez et JP dent bilan de Morgan, ni ses ratios de fonds propres beaucoup plus , ni sa capacité à retour à au sein de l’ordre de actionnaires, ” l’ensemble ladite publication pour c’est “Lex” colonne, en ajoutant qui… Read more »
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Jmcs says:
I was very excited to get this set. However, seeing the little booklet and changing into my workout gear the DVD would not be employed in my Blueray player. I didnt realize that this item was being shipped through the UK. Nor did I realize that dvds have different zones… Read more »
The biggest problem for the AFL in getting a successful presence in Western Sydney won’t be the choice of Kevin Sheedy as coach, it won’t be the home ground or sponsorship and isn’t even the popularity of rugby league as such.
No, the largest hurdle for the AFL in setting up shop in Western Sydney is this: Australian Football is still predominantly a white Anglo/Celtic sport with a culture that doesn’t look anything like Western Sydney.
Right now the AFL doesn’t even reflect the ethnic make-up of its own Melbourne heartland, so how does it expect to sell itself to kids and their parents in the most ethnically diverse part of Australia?
Continue reading "A game white people like: the AFL’s West Sydney problem" »
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John says:
Build it and they will come! Australian Football is for all. Read more »
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Michael C says:
Seems to me it’s far, far easier for the NRL to pick up a kid from a country like Namibia where they play Rugby Union…....Rugby League has had a parasitic relationship to Union for quite some time. Big deal then. Australian Football is far, far harder for new comers to… Read more »
IN a country the size of Australia, thinking big comes with the territory.
Not surprisingly Kevin Rudd proudly embraced that concept recently when he proclaimed his belief in a “big Australia” and backed plans for the nation’s population to surge to 35 million by 2049.
The populate or perish policy is nothing new, of course. Under various guises, it has driven growth in Australia for more than 200 years.
Continue reading "Boatpeople factor in debate on population growth" »
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Greg says:
I just spotted this and I do have to say I’ve rarely seen anything so classical Bob ” I think we could support double what we have now, but over a longer period of time & that doubling point would be a cap. No more. “ Like, what analysis does… Read more »
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VivKay says:
We were prosperous in the 1960s and 1970s. The “pool of prosperity” needs to be shared with more people, and most are losers. A few do prosper, but most don’t! That’s why we have more personal poverty today, not only financially but in lifestyles. There can’t be limitless growth on… Read more »
Old people never die – in fact they are feeling good and just want to keep voting conservative way into their second century.
Like the kids from Fame, Coalition voters want to live forever, long after they can remember their own name, laying down a unique challenge to policy makers on the Left.
These are the alarming findings from the Punch’s inaugural Death Survey, where we link attitudes to death with voting behaviour in an effort to drag the national political debate down to a new low.
Continue reading "Die Hard: How grey Australia keeps the Libs competitive" »
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jed says:
@Steven to propagate that myth you must work for the libs. libs and labor are both for big government - if you don’t work for them, i’m alarmed to see you’re so easily led. your description of the libs more aptly fits the LDP, i suggest you check them out Read more »
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acker says:
@ regina….Joe has go a nice smile, when it’s not smeared with some misdirected pie & sauce…...no fly’s on sloppy joe (when he’s in the shower of course Read more »
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