“Australia should not hurtle down the track towards a big population,” says our new Prime Minister.

“I don’t support the idea of a big Australia with arbitrary targets of say, a 40 million-strong Australia or a 36 million-strong Australia,” she says. “We need to stop, take a breath and develop policies for a sustainable Australia.”

Why would she say that?

Because that is what voters want to hear — and she desperately needs voters.

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There are good reasons to restrain population growth.

Celebrity businessman Dick Smith, who has plans for a television documentary series recommending slower economic growth “for the sake of the environment”, sees restraining population growth as part of the environment-saving process.

But that is not a very rigorous argument. It begs the question, whose environment? We could promote tourists swimming in tropical rivers as a means to improve the environment for crocodiles.

If what we are talking about is a better environment for humans, then another question is begged. What is a human?

If a human is an eternal soul given a mortal life in which to prepare himself to meet his Maker, then the reason for materialistic restraint becomes a spiritual one.

The “environment” that matters is to provide a worshipful and God-fearing environment for children to grow in and be educated in.

* * *

There are also good reasons for NOT restraining population growth.

Population-reducing policies are likely to include accepting fewer refugees as immigrants on compassionate grounds.

Any policy discouraging compassion is spiritually bad, no matter how economically attractive it may seem.

Population restraint policies seem sure also to take for granted that contraception is a good thing. Which, as true religion has always taught, it is not.

* * *

So the population debate is a good debate to have.

But if we don’t acknowledge that this topic is first and foremost a spiritual one, a religious one — then we’re going to waste our thoughts, words and actions on superficial premisses and come up with wrong answers.