Karl Fitzgerald

Karl Fitzgerald

Karl Fitzgerald was the former Director of Research at Prosper Australia for 18 years. He now leads Grounded Community Land Trust Advocacy.

Melbourne Rents deliver a smile for some

Saturday’s Age article on Melbourne’s rental growth outstripping all other states is reflective of current government policy at all levels – local, State and Federal. When combined with record immigration levels, property flipping will continue unabated. Prosper Australia spokesman Karl…

Rating Federal Treasury’s Performance

By Bryan Kavanagh Treasury’s mission is “to improve the wellbeing of the Australian people by providing sound and timely advice to the Government, based on objective and thorough analysis of options, and by assisting Treasury Ministers in the administration of…

Budget Smudge-It: Criticism of Swan

The Swan Federal budget was limited in its’ vision, giving with one hand in the old welfare game but taking away with the other by providing further subsidy to propertied interests. Whilst it is widely reported that the wealthy were…

Interest Rates Shoot the Messenger

March 08 figures reveal that loans for first home owners dropped to just 16.4% of owner-occupied approvals. Yes 16.4%! The Great Australian Dream is being dominated by baby boomers and/ or speculators. Those that most need a roof over their…

Canberra’s policy vision

Finally a breath of fresh air has been blown upon the housing affordability issue. The ACT government has acted upon its long history of innovative financing by proposing a system of leasing land. Income earners below $75,000 will be able…

2030, Affordability and Understanding

Today’s report on the Melbourne 2030 urban growth boundary cries out for a comment from Prosper Australia members. Melbourne University academic Rob Moodie rolled out the usual suspects in recommending that dwellings per hectare improve on the urban fringe, that…

Airport parking mafia

The power of monopoly rights was recently exposed with the growth in parking revenue at Melbourne Airport. Australian Pacific Airports Corporation is the owner of Melbourne Airport, a group controlled by a number of Australian infrastructure funds. It was reported…