This comment was made at Macrobusiness  (link may be locked – but there is a free trial available)

According to the CIA that drop from a peak over 2% to the present 1.4% will have caused us to drop in the breeding league tables from the top 50 to barely in the top 100

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_population_growth_rate

Considering the dysfunctional nature of the housing sector and the apparent limited ability of the Fed Govt to get the States to do anything, one wonders about the thinking behind the intake each year.

It is fortunate that the miners are happy in an air conditioned donga!

… and this

Yes but while those policy failures persist population growth should reflect that failure.

Perhaps if the growth merchants were denied their population ‘engine’ they might direct their attention to the policy failures (eg housing) with a bit more intent.

The difficulty is that any criticism of population growth is almost instantly characterised as some combination of a return to white australia or nutty deep green earth loving/people hating.

Not to mention the concept that without population growth we will be mugged by hundreds of grey beard boomers looking for a dime for a latte. (I think that will happen regardless)