A Sustainable Population Strategy for Australia
The Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE) welcomes the opportunity to respond to the Government issues paper on A Sustainable Population Strategy for Australia.
ATSE recommends that an increased national focus on the R&D, demonstration, commercialisation and wide-scale deployment of smart enabling technologies is required to enable older Australians to remain in their homes for longer, provide cost effective solutions to meet the needs of an ageing population and address the projected shortfall in the number of healthcare professionals.
The Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE) supports the proposal to formulate a Sustainable Population Strategy. ATSE is pleased to contribute to this submission and seeks to highlight the findings of a number of our policy reports which are relevant to the issues paper. ATSE has a strong track record of active engagement in this area and would be pleased to continue to provide advice to the government on an ongoing basis as it proceeds with the formulation of the Sustainable Population Strategy.
ATSE broadly agrees with the considerations identified in the issues paper. This submission addresses various challenges to a sustainable Australian population: water, energy, climate change, infrastructure, education and health technology and draws on the findings of numerous ATSE reports, including: 30/50(2007), which concluded that there were no insurmountable engineering, scientific or environmental barriers to reaching a sustainable Australian population of 30 million by 2050, provided that an appropriate policy framework is developed; Smart Technology for Healthy Longevity (2010); Low Carbon Energy (2010); and Climate Change and the Urban Environment (2009).
