Aussies ordered to have children

FACING a falling birth rate, the Australian government has a simple message: go forth and multiply.

And they’re prepared to pay new parents who take up the call.

“Come on, come on, your nation needs you,” Prime Minister John Howard said in Canberra yesterday, when asked about a one-off Au$3,000 (e1,750) payment for all new mothers, announced in the annual budget.