ABSTRACT
The expression demography is destiny was used by the Commonwealth Treasurer Peter Costello in 2003 when launching the first Intergenerational Equity report in order to concentrate the mind of the electorate on the consequences of an ageing population on government revenue. This chapter explains the attitude of many Aboriginal women tends to be to reject contraception, or at least not comply with birth control measures. The resonances between this pre-Christian explanation of the benefits of child bearing and Aboriginal dreaming lore are stunningly apparent. The financial imperatives for the commodification of allo-parenting in mainstream society through daycare and after school care facilities also plays a role in silencing discussion about the effect on Aboriginal children and child-rearing practices of the rapid shift to the pyramidal shape of the population profile. The chapter discusses the Pronatalism describes the situation in which there is an implicit drive within a society to have many children.
