AUSTRALIA'S POPULATION REACHES 20 MILLION!
Based on the latest available data, ABS has announced that Australia's population was projected to reach 20 Million on 4 December 2003. This significant milestone in Australia's demographic history was marked by a celebration at ABS House in Canberra featuring a keynote address by The Hon. Peter Costello M.P., Treasurer. Video and audio files of the Treasurer's speech and a link to the text of the speech can be found on the ABS Population Clock page on the ABS website. Eminent Australian demographer Professor Graeme Hugo, University of Adelaide provided a historical review of Australia's population change. The event was widely reported in the Australian media including special features on Australia's population change, and hundreds of photos of newborn babies.
Due to the variability of population change, it is not possible to identify who the 20 millionth person would have been, or exactly when it happened. It could have been a newborn baby, a new migrant to Australia, or an Australian citizen returning from overseas after a few years. However, to further celebrate this significant population milestone, ABS has offered a congratulatory 20,000,000 certificate signed by the Australian Statistician to all babies born in Australia over a 48 hour period between 12:00 midnight 3 December 2003 and 12:00 midnight 5 December 2003. Parents may apply on behalf of their newborns by sending a photocopy of the child's official birth certificate (issued by the relevant Australian State or Territory Registrar or Births, Deaths and Marriages) showing the child's full name and date of birth, and return address details to:
"20,000,000 Certificate"
Australian Bureau of Statistics
Locked Bag 10
BELCONNEN ACT 2616
Requests for certificates can be made up until 30 June 2004. The 20,000,000 certificates are a celebration gift from the ABS and are not an official birth certificate and cannot be used as proof of identity.
For more information please contact Patrick Corr on (02) 6252 6411 or patrick.corr@abs.gov.au
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