Craig Kelly (Hughes, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This month we are commemorating the 18th anniversary of the passing of Julian Simon, one of the greatest rational thinkers of the 20th century. In his honour, I would like to share a few quotations from his work.

On the most valuable resource, Simon said:

The ultimate resource is people—skilled, spirited, and hopeful people who will exert their wills and imaginations for their own benefit, and so, inevitably, for the benefit of us all.

On sustainability, he said, 'Our supplies of natural resources are not finite in any economic sense. Nor does past experience give us reason to expect natural resources to become more scarce. Rather, if history is any guide, natural resources will progressively become less costly, hence less scarce.'

And, on an optimistic future, Simon wrote:

This is my long-run forecast in brief:

The material conditions of life will continue to get better for most people, in most countries, most of the time, indefinitely.

…   …   …

I also speculate, however, that many people will continue to think and say that the conditions of life are getting worse.

As I said, Julian Simon was one of the greatest rational thinkers of the 20th century and we should have more of his work taught in our schools.