On this day, 7th June 1971, South Australian John Coulter appeared on the ABC discussion programme “the Monday Conference.”
“It all started in 1970, when Dr John Coulter, later a Senator and leader of the Australian Democrats, met with eminent gynaecologist Derek Llewellyn Jones to establish ZPG in Australia. Over the next six months they met with leading scientists to formulate a full page open letter in the Australian newspaper in 1971 entitled “To Those Who Shape Australia’s Destiny”. It urged the Australian Government to investigate not only the population that Australia could support over the long term but also the details of a balanced economic system, that is, a system in which economic productivity is balanced against the capacity of the environment to maintain itself.”
“As a consequence of this open letter, John and others were invited to a debate on population on the new and influential ABC TV program Monday Conference in 1971. This led to Paul Ehrlich being invited to appear on a later program. Paul’s appearance there and subsequent lectures around Australia had a tremendous impact.”
Here’s a couple of grabs of what Coulter said, 51 years ago.
and
Why this matters.
There was knowledge for those who wanted it. Our problem has not been, since then, one of information, but ability to “maintain the rage” at an individual and collective level.
(“Maintain the rage” is a mid-70s slogan, that only decrepit Australians would know)
What happened next?
We ignored the warnings, went back to sleep. Woke periodically, as the house burned to the ground. So it goes.