Soal No.58 Literasi Bahasa Inggris

During the Covid 19 pandemic, the Morrison government closed Australia's international borders in March 2020. Consequently, migration is no longer happening. The latest population data confirms what we already know: immigration has stalled. What wasn't clear until now is that Australia's population has actually shrunk.

More people left the nation between July and September last year than arrived here. That led to our population falling by 4,200 people, or 0.02 per cent. It may not seem like much, but it's the first time that's happened in more than a century. "The last time we saw population decline was the year to December 1916, during World War I when the population declined by 51,500 [people] (-1.0 per cent)," ABS demography director Phil Browning says.

In the three months to September last year, 55,400 people left Australia, while 20,600 arrived — turning net overseas migration negative by 34,800 people. For a country that typically relies on migration for two-thirds of its population growth, the closed border is going to have a lasting impact. "By 2030, around one-million fewer people will be calling Australia home than we would have seen otherwise," demographer at the University of Queensland's school of earth and environmental sciences Dr Elin Charles-Edwards said.

In the year to September — which still had six months of normal population changes before the pandemic led the government to close the door to Australia — population growth was 0.9 per cent — or 220,500 people. All states and territories recorded annual population growth, with Queensland the biggest beneficiary as people moved there from other states.

However, the overall numbers are sliding. Before the pandemic, annual population growth was about 1.5 per cent, with the majority of it coming from overseas arrivals. Critically, the source of the growth in the latest annual figure has flipped. "Natural increase accounted for 61.4 per cent of annual population growth, while net overseas migration accounted for the remaining 38.6 per cent," Mr. Browning said.

Still, Australia won't be able to count on natural population growth to enhance its numbers as the birth rate has been declining for years and COVID-19 has not helped counteract that. "Natural increase during the 12 months to September was 135,400 people, a decrease of 3.8 per cent from the previous year," Mr Browning said.

sumber: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-03-24/population-declines-as-covid-border-closures-bite/13256938

Which of the following statements about Australia is NOT CORRECT according to the passage? 

A. The birth rate in Australia started to fall before the pandemic. 

B. Australia’s population declined similarly over 100 years ago. 

C. It usually depend on migration for half of its population growth. 

D. Its government closed international borders in March 2020. 

E. The annual population growth was about 1.5 percent before the pandemic.