Australia Offering to Pay New Parents

[Champ]

CANBERRA, Australia - Facing a falling birth rate, the Australian government has a simple message: Go forth and multiply. And they're prepared to pay new parents who take up the call.



"Come on, come on, your nation needs you," Prime Minister John Howard said Wednesday, when asked about a one-off 3,000 Australian dollar (US$2,100) payment for all new mothers announced by Treasurer Peter Costello in the annual budget.


On Tuesday night, a smiling Costello urged reporters in Canberra: "You go home and do your patriotic duty tonight."


The father of three suggested that two children per couple wasn't quite enough to combat the effects of an aging population and declining birth rate in this sparsely populated nation of 20 million.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=816&ncid=816&e=2&u=/ap/20040512/ap_on_fe_st/australia_procreation_nation (hopefully matcom didn't beat me to this one)

[seaglass]

1. They should just loosen their immigration standards. Heck,

I'd move there with my husband and 2 kids if their immigration standards weren't so strict.

There's plenty of people to go around.

[Southpaw Bookworm]

2. Hell frickin' yes

The possibility of immigrating to Australia has been a frequent topic of discussion between me and my sweetie, and being able to afford procreation would be icing on the cake.