Footy great turned radio star Stephen Rowe blasts young Aussies for being too selfish and addicted to social media to have babies

A former AFL player and radio star has spoken out about Generation Z and millennial Aussies, calling them “selfish” for not having children, as his unscripted rant stunned his co-host.

Former Adelaide Crows star Stephen Rowe hit out on Adelaide’s 5AA on Wednesday after host Stacey Lee read Australian Bureau of Statistics data showing Australia’s birth rate had fallen to just 1.5 children per woman.

“That just tells me how selfish our society is,” he said.

‘You used to fall in love with a beautiful woman. You had a full-time job, you had some fun in the evenings, you had a baby.

‘You rented or bought a house. You worked hard, actually showed up and worked hard. Building a life and a family together and everything else was insignificant.

“These days I have to have the holidays, I have to have the Instagram account, I have to have the clothes and I have to go to the Adelaide Cup, the Melbourne Cup, the this cup. I see it in my children.’

Lee intervened, saying younger Australians could not afford housing, which she said was the real cause of the sharp decline in family formation.

“You can’t pay a mortgage on one income these days… that’s not an option for my generation,” she said.

“How about living within your means?” Rowe said in response.

‘Only buy a house you can afford.

‘I think modern people are selfish. I do. You want all these things and you want them all today. You (Lee) are just like my children.

“Mom, fall in love, have a baby, and everything will work out because you’re in love and you have a child.”

Rowe made headlines earlier this year by claiming that Australia is so over-governed that the country is producing a “weaker race” of people. Rowe was also caught with an unfortunate microphone error during his 5AA drivetime show.

The ABS data, released on Wednesday, showed a consistent decline in birth rates since the early 1990s, although there was some increase in the early and mid-2000s.

By 2023, Australia had recorded 286,998 births, resulting in a total fertility rate of 1.5 babies per woman, the ABS said.

In 1993 the TFR was 1.86.

“The record low total fertility rate is due to fewer births in most states and territories,” said Beidar Cho, head of demographic statistics at ABS.

‘The long-term decline in fertility of younger mothers and the continued increase in fertility of older mothers reflect a shift towards later childbearing.

‘Together, this has resulted in an increase in the average age of mothers to 31.9 years and a decrease in Australia’s total fertility rate.’

Pollster Kos Samaras said Australia’s falling birth rate “shouldn’t come as a surprise”.

“Forty percent of the 18-34 year olds we interview indicate that they do not plan to have children,” he wrote on X on Thursday.

‘The most important drivers? Cost – housing.”

A replacement fertility rate is 2.1 children per woman.

Declining birth rates are a common feature in the developed world.

According to the European country’s statistics office, Italy’s fertility rate is 1.2, while in Canada it has fallen to 1.26.

Lee reacted with surprise to Rowe’s outburst.

“I’m a woman in my 30s who doesn’t have a child and you just called me selfish,” she said.

Rowe did not leave his position.

“I said the young generation is selfish,” he said.

‘They want all these things, they want to go on holiday abroad five times and stay in luxury hotels and have the best clothes and the best cars and all that kind of stuff.

‘How about settling down and starting a family? Wouldn’t that be a great idea? Call me old-fashioned.’