Australian hospitals are bracing for a baby boom in July as expectant mothers try to delay imminent births to take advantage of a new welfare payment, researchers said on Monday.
From July 1, a baby bonus paid to the parents for every new-born child will increase by A$1,000 (400 pounds) to A$4,000.
Economists said that after the baby bonus was introduced in July 2004 about 700 births were delayed by a week to take advantage of the new payment.
Melbourne Business School economist Professor Joshua Gans and Australian National University colleague Andrew Leigh said that around 300 births were moved by more than two weeks.
Most of those births involved caesarean sections or induced deliveries, they said.
In a bid to overcome Australia's low fertility rate and ageing population, Prime Minister John Howard's conservative government has urged couples to have more children.
Treasurer Peter Costello suggested two years ago that Australian couples should have "one for mum, one for dad and one for the country".
Figures released this month showed that Australians were doing their patriotic duty, with the nation in the grip of a baby boom for the first time in 12 years.
Costello welcomed the latest trend but warned doctors and parents against doing anything that would endanger the health of mothers and their babies to take advantage of the new payment.
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I wish we got paid to have babies.
First of all, how do you "delay birth?"
Second of all, isn't the world overpopulated enough...
Third of all...weird?