To build long term sustainable and happy communities we must stabilize our populations within the carrying capacity of our region.

Co-author Mark O'Connor Mark will be building on the arguments in his previous book, This Tired Brown Land, which outlines the reasons for the low human carrying capacity of Australia.

"After a decade of being told Australia's population would naturally cap itself at under 25 million, or might even fall, we now discover it is growing at the more than Third World rate of 1.7% a year, and is on course to reach 42 million by 2050, and over 100 million by 2100," said Mark.

"Some powerful Australians are determined to keep things that way," he said. "I've written this book together with William L Lines to explain to the Australian public how they're being fooled into accepting more and more population growth."

Simon Baltais, Secretary of the Queensland Conservation Council, said that for too long the population debate has been hijacked by growth boosters and the naïve.

"Mark's book clearly shows population is the Big Issue facing Australia, as it's all about numbers," said Mr Baltais. "Governments have been feeding from the hands of those who benefit from the fools' dream of endless growth; consequently, they have become key advocates for perpetuating the fallacy.

"The SEQ Regional Plan, recently released for public comment, is the authoritative legal planning document for SEQ and is supposed to bring balance to development in SEQ," said Mr Baltais. "Yet when one reads this document, it's clear that it's all about accommodating incredible unsustainable growth."

"To build long term sustainable and happy communities we must stabilize our populations within the carrying capacity of our region," said Mr Baltais.

 For more information about the book launch: Simon Baltais, QLD Conservation Council, 0412-075-334 or

http://www.qccqld.org.au/component/option,com_jcalpro/Itemid,24/extid,155/extmode,view/ 

Dr Bob Birrell, Director of the Centre for Population and Urban Research at Monash University, writes: Overloading Australia provides the most informed and accessible analysis of the implications of Australia's high rate of population growth available.

Media enquires: Michelle Frenkel, Publicity Manager ph: 0419-394-375 email:This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Publisher is Envirobook, Distributor Dennis Jones Ltd. Copies can be mail-ordered from Mark O'Connor or from Envirobook.