Register - WIN a $10,000 Safari | Login  How to help women have
more babies  June 2, 2004  It's wrong to suggest the Government
can do nothing to boost the nation's fertility, writes Ross
Gittins.  Paul Keating was never very popular as Treasurer, but
when his ambition moved on to the top job, he wasn't worried. He
would, he said, simply "throw the switch to vaudeville". I
suspect that's what Peter Costello was doing with his remarks on
budget night urging people to "go home and do your patriotic
duty".  But don't be misled by his cheap jokes. If this budget
is about anything more than blatant vote-buying, it's about
helping parents juggle work and family commitments and hoping
this will do something to improve fertility.  Issues of public
policy don't come much more important that this. If our
fertility rate continues falling below its present 1.7 children
per woman - leading eventually to a declining population, with
radical implications for our growth-addicted economy - expect a
lot more wailing and gnashi