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Population Growth

When

Event Status

Australia’s population increases by one person every 81 seconds, while both urban and rural demographics continue to shift. If ‘demography is indeed destiny’, as Malcolm Turnbull once said … what vision is guiding our growth, and why?

Enter Question time. Through a full hour of Q&A with our expert panellists, we’ll explore the many facets of the population question in Australia, and how they intersect with the broader implications of a burgeoning global population. Has there been a true governmental strategy since Rudd’s Big Australia? What are the current trends in Australia’s population growth, and how have they changed? And what advances are we seeing in food, water and energy systems to support communities around the world?

Host Madeleine Morris will facilitate your discussion with panellists including environmentalist and former Australian Conservation Foundation president Ian Lowe, Humanitarian Advisory Group director Louise Searle, environmental policy and urban planning expert Michael Buxton, and internationally-renowned medical anthropologist, social historian and public health researcher Lenore Manderson.

Featuring

Madeleine Morris

Madeleine Morris is a Melbourne-based reporter for ABC television’s 7.30. She was formerly a presenter for the BBC in London and reported from dozens of countries before returning to her native Australia. She is the author of Guilt-Free Bottle-Feeding: Why Your Formula-Fed Baby Can Grow ... Read more

Ian Lowe

Professor Ian Lowe AO was president of the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) from 2004 to 2014. He is emeritus professor of science, technology and society at Griffith University in Brisbane, as well as being an adjunct professor at Sunshine Coast University and Flinders University. Professor... Read more

Lenore Manderson

Lenore Manderson is an internationally-renowned medical anthropologist, social historian and public health researcher and educator. Lenore is Professor of Public Health and Medical Anthropology, School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa. She is also Professor in Environm... Read more

Michael Buxton

Professor Michael Buxton joined RMIT in 1998 after 12 years in senior management with Victorian Government Planning and Environment agencies, and with the Victorian Environment Protection Authority. He formerly headed the intergovernmental process for Australia’s National Greenhouse Strategy, the ... Read more

Louise Searle

Louise Searle is a Director at Humanitarian Advisory Group, a Melbourne-based social enterprise providing research, training and advisory services on humanitarian issues.  Over the last decade, she has worked in conflict settings and disaster responses in contexts such as eastern Democrati... Read more

Location

The Wheeler Centre

176 Little Lonsdale Street Melbourne Victoria 3000

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