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Monday, 2nd April 2007
International
Mon 2 Apr 2007
Cash bonus boosts births in Australia
A SENIOR government minister yesterday credited his efforts - in office - with increasing Australia's lagging birth rate.
"Nobody has worked harder to improve birth rates than me - not personally, but politically," Treasurer Peter Costello, a father of three, told Australian Broadcasting Corporation television.
Australia was one of the few developed countries to record an increase in its fertility rate last year.
Mr Costello said his government's family-friendly policies including a bonus of more than A$4,000 (£1,644) for each newborn baby contributed to last year's birth rate rising from 1.73 to 1.8 babies per woman - the highest in 13 years.
Announcing the bonus in 2004, Mr Costello urged Australians to "go home and do your patriotic duty tonight" with an aim to having at least three children. His target is 2.1 babies per woman.
This article:
http://news.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=505922007Last updated: 02-Apr-07 01:00 BST
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Japan has a similar program. I find it encouraging that at least some countries "get it"! We bought into the population bomb myth about a century too early and the consequences are going to be devastating for those of us in cultures what hop on the bandwagon for every fad science that comes along.
We have just about guaranteed our own demise as a culture, ethnic group or whatever you care to call those of European ancestry. But then any culture stupid enough to be killing off its own offspring likely doesn't deserve to continue to exist as not even animals do that.
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