From ‘Moral Decay’ to ‘Cost of Living Crisis’: 125 Years of Australian Political Discourse on Fertility

Seminar

In common with other high-income countries, a key feature of Australia’s population trends since Federation has been a shift towards smaller families. The fertility rate has fallen from over 3.5 children per woman in 1901 to just under 1.5 in 2024, although this decline has not been linear. Periods…