I don't know if you caught this (Population Debate) on the ABC but Dick Smith is lobbying hard for a significant reduction in population growth for Australia. Now being about his age I can't help but agree that a smaller population is probably better for quality of life issues (highlighted to me yet again on my return to Sydney from Innamincka - talk about culture shock). But sadly Mr Smith is an annacronism (sp) as I am, in that he longs for a return to the past when things were less crowded, the air was cleaner, and you could get a seat on the train; this is certainly not the future of the rest of the world. If Australia can embrace the vision of becoming an 'anti-development' oasis then prehaps it can carve out a unique place in the world as a sort of 'environmental Disneyland' theme park that the rest of the world can come and visit to see how things used to be. I'd be happy in that world but I'm not sure the aspirations of the younger generation (and migrants) could be met by going 'back to the future'.

Being old improves your vision, but only in the rear view mirror.