Wading into the population debate, the General Synod of the Anglican Church has warned that current rates of population growth are unsustainable and potentially out of step with church doctrine - including the eighth commandment, ''Thou shall not steal''.
In a significant intervention, the Anglican Public Affairs Commission has warned concerned Christians that remaining silent ''is little different from supporting further overpopulation and ecological degradation''.
''Out of care for the whole of creation, particularly the poorest of humanity and the life forms who cannot speak for themselves … it is not responsible to stand by and remain silent,'' a discussion paper by the commission warns.
''Unless we take account of the needs of future life on Earth, there is a case that we break the eighth commandment - 'Thou shall not steal'.''
The discussion paper, prepared in March, claims that federal government financial incentives encouraging childbirth - particularly the baby bonus - should be scrapped and replaced with improved support for parenting through increased paid parental leave.
''In the context of unsustainable global population growth it is inconsistent and arguably irresponsible to provide financial incentives for population increase,'' the paper says.
It also calls on the government to cut total immigration levels, although it says there should be a higher proportion of refugees and family reunion migrants included in Australia's intake.
Anglican Public Affairs Commission chairman Professor John Langmore has also written to Labor MP Kelvin Thomson congratulating him for his strong public statements in favour of lower population growth.
Mr Thomson, who has similarly argued that immigration levels should be cut by more than half and the baby bonus dumped to stabilise the population at 26 million by 2050, said the Anglican Church's position reflected a groundswell of public opinion.
After late last year declaring himself in favour of a ''big Australia'', Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, who attends an Anglican Church in Canberra, last month agreed there were legitimate concerns about population growth and appointed Agriculture Minister Tony Burke as Australia's first population minister to develop the country's first population plan.
Mr Rudd's changed public comments on the issue came after the release of Treasury predictions earlier this year that Australia's population would swell from about 22 million to 35.9 million in 2050, with overseas migration by far the biggest contributor.
The discussion paper said population had been virtually a taboo subject, suggesting the debate was being controlled by a range of vested interests. Included are businesses who benefit from the increased demand for houses and goods and services, and governments, who rely on population to produce economic growth.
''Those who do not own their own homes, particularly young people and the poorer members of our community, will find it increasingly difficult to achieve ownership,'' the paper said.'
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