The “urban congestion” that Kevin Rudd says is “clogging up” Australia’s cities is unlikely to ease in the immediate future.

In fact, new figures suggest that it is likely to get worse.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics is reporting, for example, that the population of Australia’s capital cities grew faster, in 2008-09, than they had on average over the previous five years.

Perth’s recorded the highest  population growth of any capital, at 3.2 per cent.

And Brisbane saw its population pass the 2 million mark, during the year.

The average, for all Australian capitals, was 2.3 per cent.

Facilities in Perth’s inner suburbs were particularly stretched.

Their population exploded by 12.8 per cent over the year.

This was the highest growth recorded anywhere in Australia.

The difference between city and country growth rates is also at a 10 year high.

The population growth rate, outside Australia’s capitals, was just 1.9 per cent.

Western Australia, though, also recorded the highest population growth rates outside the nation’s capital cities.

The seaside town of Mandurah, for example, chalked up a 5.1 per cent rise in its population, over the year.

And Capel, in the State’s south west, saw a 6 per cent rise.

The Treasurer, Wayne Swan, told a growth management summit in Brisbane, that the population of that city is expected to  double, over the next 40 years.

He said, too, that the ageing of Australia’s population would complicate population growth issues, over that time.

However, Mr Swan  is still optimistic.

“Personally, I have no doubt that a nation which has defied the worst global recession  since the Great Depression is capabable of harnessing the benefit of a growing population, while intelligently managing the stresses that it brings,” he said.

Australia’s builders, though, warned that the nation is not building nearly enough housing to accommodate its rapidly growing population.