SMH Letter

I would be pleased to help Peter Costello in his quest for more little nippers in this country and, aged 25, now would be a wonderful time for me to start were it not for: a large HECS debt, job insecurity, the likelihood that it will take at least another 10 years before property in Sydney starts to look vaguely affordable, the extra 10 years needed to save for the child's education and so forth ("Costello hatches census-time challenge: procreate and cherish", July 25).

Sorry, Pete, could be a bit of a wait.

Claudia Marckx, Chippendale