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.

Treasurer Peter Costello urged reporters in Canberra to: “Go home and do your patriotic duty tonight.”

He also suggested two children per couple was not quite enough to combat the effects of an ageing population and declining birth rate in the nation of 20 million.

“If you can have children it’s a good thing to do. You should have ... one for your husband, one for your wife, and one for your country,” Mr Costello said.