Henry George Address
Since 1892, Prosper Australia and the Victorian Georgist movement have proudly hosted an annual dinner to celebrate the life and ideas of Henry George. Held around his birthday on 2 September, the evening features a compelling keynote address, shared dinner, and lively discussion among those passionate about economic justice.
Henry George Commemoration Social 1910
The annual commemorative address has been presented by a wide variety of speakers. These include Ross Garnaut, Walter Burley Griffin, Saul Eslake, Nicole Gurran, Fred Harrison, Dr Jim Cairns, Reverend Tim Costello, and EJ Craigie.
In 1910 gramophone recordings of Lloyd George and Winston Churchill’s ‘The People’s Budget’ were played. In 1911 a Single Tax Comedy Drama ‘The Story of my Dictatorship’ was performed at the Austral Salon. In 2020 and 2021, the event was moved online due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
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Join us for a night of intellectual discourse and celebration at the 134th Annual Henry George Dinner and Address, to be held on Thursday, September 4th, 2025, at The Kelvin Club, Melbourne.
Prosper Australia’s Executive Committee invites you to join us as we pay tribute to the legacy of influential 19th-century economist and social reformer, Henry George. The Henry George Dinner has become a time-honoured tradition, bringing together thinkers, professionals, and changemakers who share a common passion for economic justice and social progress.
Date: Thursday, Sept 4th 2025
Time: 6:30PM (Australian Eastern Standard Time), doors open 6pm.
Location: The Kelvin Club, 14-30 Melbourne Place, Melbourne, VIC 3000
This year’s keynote address will be delivered by John Alexander OAM — former Federal MP, founder and Deputy Chairman of the Australian High Speed Rail Association, and a passionate advocate for federal and state government policies that implement value capture funding for transport projects, promote regional development and improve social and affordable housing supply.
John Alexander OAM was a Member of the Australian House of Representatives from 2010 – 2022 during which time he led a number of key parliamentary committees, including serving as Chair of the Parliamentary Committee on Infrastructure, Transport and Cities; the Parliamentary Committee on Economics; the Parliamentary Committee on Tax and Revenue; and the Coalition Policy Committee on Infrastructure and Regional Development.
He led Liberal Party Sustainable Cities Policy Taskforce and the Parliamentary Friends of Rail Group which invited industry leaders to present emerging issues, research and opportunities to parliamentarians. He is a strong advocate for federal and state government policies that implement value capture funding for transport projects, promote regional development, and improve social and affordable housing supply.
John was a professional tennis player from the late 1960s to the mid 1980s, leading Australia to victory in the Davis Cup Final in Sydney in 1977. He rose to #8 in the international singles rankings, and #2 in doubles, winning 7 singles and 27 doubles titles. In 1992, he received an Order of Australia Medal for his services to tennis.
Prosper Executive Committee Secretary Joe Langley will introduce our keynote speaker and lead the discussion after the address.
Joe Langley is Chairman and Managing Director of the Australian High Speed Rail Association. From 2018 to 2023, Joe served as specialist advisor to TfNSW on value capture funding for major transport projects, including Sydney Metro, Parramatta Light Rail and the Faster Rail program. He has held senior executive roles in urban development and infrastructure advisory at AECOM and Jacobs. In 2013, he led investigations into urban and regional planning, environmental assessment and value capture funding on the Federal Government’s High Speed Rail Study – Phase 2 Report.
Joe earned a Master of City Planning degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a BA in political science from the University of Georgia.
