Our latest Research
Pricing Development Rights: A game changer for housing affordability
By Tim Helm & Henry Williams
Governments across Australia are effectively giving away $11 billion a year to wealthy landowners by failing to put a fair price on development rights.
Read the paper.
The Land Cycle
By Catherine Cashmore
The Land Cycle explores the history of the 18-year land cycle and its implications for policy development. Read the paper.
Rent-Controlled Resources: Why are we under-charging Australia's mining tenants?
This report examines Australia’s resource royalties and the gains to be made by moving to a more flexible royalty model with variable rates
Speculative Vacancies 2025 data update
Our latest Speculative Vacancies data update reveals the extent of unoccupied housing in Melbourne.
Buying better income taxes with land taxes
Tax reform is more than changing income tax rates, it’s about shifting taxes off income altogether. This report explores one of the most recommended reforms.
Staged Releases: Peering Behind the Land Supply Curtain
In this report we ask whether the private choices of property owners to supply new housing according to market conditions works against the stated public policy outcome of supply-driven affordability through rezoning.
OUR LATEST NEWS
Does taxing investors drive up the rent?
The Productivity Commission’s recent five year review, “Shifting the Dial”, brings the welcome recommendation of a shift from stamp duties to a broad-based land tax. Stamp duty is a dud tax from the economist’s point of view; it doesn’t achieve an obvious...
From capitalism to rentierism?
Taxes on wages in Australia were fairly minimal until WWII, since which time they’ve been ratcheted up significantly. Federal taxes before the war consisted mainly of customs and excise charges and the federal land tax, introduced in 1910. The States and...
A Land Tax for the Top End?
Amid recent GST distribution cuts of $400m p.a. (about 12% of revenue) and a flagging property market, the Northern Territory Government is facing severe fiscal challenges. The NT is the most stamp duty reliant government in the federation, and has been hard hit an...