Population Policies in Australia and Russia for sustainable development

Australia: Sustainable Population Strategy

-          The objective:

Improve the well-being through management of population change’s impacts.

The thing is not to stop the growth, but address the issues that it generates in an adequate way.

Seeks to identify and take action in areas where population change may lead to unsustainable environment and natural resource management practices.

-          How it is supposed to address the issues:

Carefully planned, sustainable management of this natural capital is essential to ensure it remains healthy and available to current and future generations

-          How do the policies will affect population growth?

•         The Sustainable Population Strategy will considered, and thus, affect directly aspects of population dynamics such as fertility, life expectancy, internal movements, and migration levels.

•          It will intend to look after the condition of different growth rates and conditions for different areas of the Australian territory.

•          It will work with the National Urban Policy that will make able to maintain the urban population, which represents almost the 80%, by addressing and controlling issues, such as: water scarcity, service delivery, food security and health services.

•          The research for the strategy has given out results that show that the increase of Australian food production in the last decades are due to an increase in efficiency and productivity, rather than the disposition of more agricultural land. The strategy intends to exploit productivity in order to handle the increasement of population.

•          Carbon dioxide emissions will be lowered as the strategy plans a reduction in the pollution per capita. This will lead to greener practices among the population, better living standards and the move towards sustainable power sources.

•          The country establishes a great importance in the population growth due to the need of work force.

•          Migration is an important factor to consider as it represents skilled workforce, innovation, a dynamic society with different views, connection with other nations, and foreign capital in the Australian economy.

The Strategy would set three different independent panels to look at population change through different lenses:

1. Demography and liveability
2.  Productivity and prosperity
3.  Sustainable development

Russia policies of population strategy

In recent years Russia’s government, led by President Vladimir Putin, has established new population and sustainable development policies that are intend to response to the issues that the country is facing. A shortening population, lack of workers

Russian government feels that the worst problem is the issue is the population crisis of implosion. The government has decided to implement policies that will increase the birth and fertility rate of the country by trying to increase the number of children per family.

A repatriation program has been set by the government in order to bring back the former Russians that have left the country looking for specialized opportunities aboard. The program includes monetary incentives, social benefits and employment opportunities.

There is a proposal to change he immigration policies in order to make them friendlier with foreigners, increasing the appeal of the country to skilled and non-skilled outsiders.

Russia is the second nation that receives more immigrants, being USA the first one.  A great part of these immigrants are illegal. Illegal immigrants are subject to bad job possibilities and don’t contribute the activation of the economy. New migration policy will control the access of illegal immigrants and will concede legal registration and working permit to the greater part of the illegal immigrants that are already in Russia. The law defines quotas for migrant sending countries and high penalties for employers who illegally employ migrants.

References

1. Hibbard, Courtney. "Russia's Population Plan - San Diego Public Policy | Examiner.com."Washington DC News, Washington DC Information, Washington DC Events - Examiner.com | Examiner.com. 30 Apr. 2009. Web. 11 Jan. 2011. <http://www.examiner.com/public-policy-in-san-diego/russia-s-population-plan>

2. Banjanovic, Adisa. "Russias New Immigration Policy Will Boost the Population Euromonitor Archive." Market Research for Industries, Market Research for Countries, Market Research on Consumers. 14 June 2007. Web. 11 Jan. 2011. <http://www.euromonitor.com/Russias_new_immigration_policy_will_boost_the_population>.

3. Commonwealth of Australia. "A Sustainable Population Strategy for Australia - Issues Paper - online version."Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities (DSEWPaC) - Home Page. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Jan. 2011. <http://environment.gov.au/sustainability/population/publications/issues-paper2.html>.