(file under: have an unwanted baby for Jesus!)

Excuse my ignorance, but didn't the Australian government pass a law giving all parents a $3000 bonus for each baby born or something?

There were hints around election-time that the NZ govt would offer something similar, but as an incentive for people to buy houses or save or some such rubbish. It never happened, of course.

Excuse my ignorance, but didn't the Australian government pass a law giving all parents a $3000 bonus for each baby born or something?

They certainly did. And the birth rate has skyrocketed in the last year or so, although a direct connection to the "baby bonus" is yet to be proven.

with that logic they should ban monogamy and make drunkness compulsory.

These people would fit right in with the Republicans here in the US.

I know! The only consolation I can take from this is the realization that there's at least one other Westernized nation with its head up it ass. Not that it's a club anyone wants to be a member of.

[besides which, is there any demographic evidence here? Is the abortion pill used more widely by white people than brown people, or used equally by all?}

Anyway, glad to know what a human life is worth. $3K. Less than my car.

they're saying that here too, and it's trickled down from the supremacists thru to the rightwing Christian groups--it's an underlying reason there's so much opposition to it here, i think. People like Bill Bennett say you could "abort all black babies" but are otherwise completely pro-life for white people.

I'm advocating a voluntary, free-spirited, open-ended program of procreative racial deconstruction.

My sister and I were born in Australia, and my parents returned to England when I was a kid. The Australian Govt made it quite clear whne we were leaving that they objected strongly to my parents taking two white, Australian-born children out of the country.

that's so weird--and horribly racist.

are they still encouraging Brits to come?

When I first saw this on the news, I thought it was a joke. Unfortunately, it isn't. Fortunately, this is more the result of a slow news day whcn some fuckwit redneck politician happened to fire off a news release that tickled the fancy of a few news editors than any indication of real belief that muslims are taking over by any significant portion of politiicans (or real people for that matter).

Still, this is one of those times that I can use as another reason when people ask me why I refuse to become an Australian citizen, despite having lived here for 30-odd years.

No, amberglow, the policy of encouraging only migrants of European descent to come here is long gone. Now we encourage anyone with enough cash to support themselves.

essexjan - I imagine that the view expressed was more that of an individual public servant than "the Government". What say would the governement have had on your leaving the country anyway - it's not like you need permission?

The $3k baby bonus has certainly resulted in a baby boom. Unfortunately, it is mainly in those fringes of society where children are seen as a method of extorting money from the government in leiu of actually getting off your arse and supporting yourself. $3k can buy a nice beaten-up VP Commodore (or a shitload of dope).

*sigh* Now look what you've done - got me all worked up again.