Senator Duniam’s statements come after Australia last week reached the 25 million people milestone - 20 years earlier than expected.

In July, West Australian Liberal senator Dean Smith first raised the idea of holding an inquiry into population growth.

Some of his Coalition colleagues have come out in support of his suggestion, with Senator Duniam being the latest one to do so.

“Our population policy cannot be a one size fits all approach, and there is a real city-country divide which needs to be addressed,” he said.

“By setting not just national targets but also regional ones, we will be better able to manage our population growth.”

Senator Duniam noted that population in Tasmania’s regional areas was actually declining.