Using Population Projections for Policy and Planning Purposes fast demography requires a new approach

This InSummary discusses the popular misunderstandings about population projections – what they are and what they are not and how to use them more effectively to plan for, and shape, a future reality. #politas

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A map of the statistical area of Greater Hobart

Deirdre has cared for her son for 45 years. He'll soon enter the unknown Deirdre Croft has dedicated 45 years to caring and advocating for her intellectually disabled son, Richard. Each passing day brings more pressure to secure his future when she's gone. It's a distressi...

www.abc.net.au/news/2026-03...

How university life in Australia has changed Two students who went to the same university 30 years apart share their radically different experiences as lectures go online and face-to-face contact takes a back seat in the post-pandemic world.

There will be demographic implications if young people are prevented from forming social and healthy relationships at university. Delayed partnering is already a contributor to the decline in the fertility rate - eventually there will be fewer people to enrol at uni. www.abc.net.au/news/2026-03...

Women carry bulk of the mental load, but men are active in one stage While research has found mothers do more in all four stages of cognitive labour, there was one stage where men were more active than others.

www.abc.net.au/news/2026-03...

Chief Executive Officer Job in Hobart TAS - SEEK The Tasmanian Council of Social Service (TasCOSS) is the peak body for the community services industry in Tasmania

An opportunity has arisen for a new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to lead TasCOSS. Based in Hobart, with a statewide remit, the CEO will be responsible for strategic leadership, industry development and influence, organisational sustainability, and advocacy. #politas www.seek.com.au/job/90088874...

20 years ago this week, I launched my first business – tasmanianjobs.com – an employment advertising website. At the time, Tasmania was experiencing strong economic and population growth, yet, skill shortages prevailed. Fast forward, what's changed? #politas
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Interested in the source and assumptions informing this population forecast given the Centre for Population’s forecast released this month suggest growth of around 10K for the Greater Hobart Capital City area - larger than these 4 council areas #politas population.gov.au/sites/popula...

While Tas. unemployment rate is lowest in nation, employment itself ⬇️, unemployed persons ⬆️, employment population ratio ⬇️, NILF ⬆️, LFPR steady (but down if 2 decimal points) . Govt is cherry picking the data. #politas

'Deeply furious': More than 3,000 aged care patients stranded in hospitals State health ministers will today enter their final meeting of the year with their federal counterpart armed with figures showing a 25 per cent increase in just three months of aged care patients stra...

All levels of government need to take responsibility for failing to plan for population ageing. It’s not like we didn’t know it was coming….. #politas #auspol

www.abc.net.au/news/2025-12...

As the population ages, the RBA’s interest rate policy is no longer fit for purpose High rates of outright home ownership combined with tax-free super insulate older Australians from mortgage rate fluctuations.

A piece from me in the Conversation today about why the RBA needs to apply a demographic lens to monetary policy making. #auspol theconversation.com/as-the-popul...

Invest in early intervention support like multitiered systems of support in schools
- value allied health professionals as key in the education system workforce
- Invest and promote career pathways in the allied health occupations - speech, language, occupational, physio, psychs, social workers etc

Invest at scale in outdoor education, cultural, recreation and creative opportunities for teenagers (like the summer camp industry in North America)

Cultural and regulatory or legislative changes
- provide annual leave entitlements equivalent to school holidays
- increase PPL to 12 months for both parents (incl. super)
- enable working weeks to be equivalent to school hours
- value and recognise parenting
- value and recognise caregiving

While I fully support delaying access to social media platforms for our youth, it does not address the structural issues. If we are really serious about letting kids be kids and supporting connection, communication and good relationship development then much more is required. Starting with: 🧵

If NAPLAN was football, we’d cheer the goals

Timely. Given the Tasmanian context. Improving the educational attainment of all Tasmanians will have the greatest economic and equity outcome than any other investment over the long term. Ever. #politas

pamelasnow.blogspot.com/2025/12/if-n...

That would be really helpful and useful.

The TasAlert app is shite. It would be good if the order of warnings was chronological so we know the actual status…. #politas

Costello backs return of the baby bonus as birth rate slides With Australia's fertility rate at a new low and concerns about its economic impact on the future, the former treasurer behind the early 2000s baby boom says all options should be on the table to enco...

No. Just no. Fix the structural issues re why women are either not having children or having fewer.

www.abc.net.au/news/2025-12...

My computer doesn’t want to work in this heat with the aircon also on so I’m doing some ‘work’ reading (dreaming?!)

On average, every year, around 15,500 people leave Tasmania to live interstate, around 13,500 move here. People move for a whole range of reasons… handfuls of people moving or arriving due to the team or stadium are not significant….

What sort of jobs will stadium create? Direct construction, indirect hospitality jobs - low pay, low skill, casualised, insecure. These are not the jobs young people want for their future - entrenches them in insecurity….

I am often asked what I think will happen with migration as a result of the stadium - answer is I don’t know. People move for many reasons. We are currently losing more whole families than gaining, and I’m pretty sure it’s nothing do to with the stadium. #politas

I’m told that there are no actions to implement in the wellbeing strategy because there is no money to support implementation. I’m pretty sure that wellbeing is the foundation of a prosperous and productive economy and society but apparently not so in Tasmania #politas

My OpEd in the Mercury today: The RBA is fighting yesterday's battle as economics without demography is blind #auspol #politas

Or because they can’t leave. The ability to migrate (move somewhere else to live) is a privilege - an expression of human freedom, choice and agency. Many Tasmanians do not have that. The inability to leave will entrench disadvantage further. #politas

Whatever happened to Tasmania’s sustainability strategy? #politas

www.dpac.tas.gov.au/tasmanian-po...

Tasmania is an innovation laboratory for ageing - CoPilot | Lisa Denny On the back of Simon Kuestenmacher's article about Tasmania being the ideal pilot state for innovation in relation to our ageing demographic, and work I have been doing for 20 years, I asked CoPilot t...

On the back of a recent article about Tasmania being the ideal pilot state for innovation in ageing, and work I have been doing for 20 years, I asked CoPilot to: "Provide examples of innovation and investment opportunities in relation to ageing populations" #politas

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