Prosper Australia has condemned the Victorian Government’s decision to unwind its land tax reforms, warning that the move puts short-term political relief ahead of the long-term interests of working Victorians. Premier Ben Carroll has announced that Victoria’s land tax-free threshold…
SUBMISSION TO THE SENATE ECONOMICS LEGISLATION COMMITTEE Author: Cathal Leslie, Senior Economist, Prosper Australia9 June, 2026 Summary of recommendations Prosper Australia supports the Government’s stated objectives of improving housing affordability and intergenerational equity. However, we cannot support the proposed reforms.…
Executive summary Australia’s housing system is producing a widening intergenerational divide. The divide is not merely between older owners and younger non-owners. It is between those who hold scarce, well-located land and those who must now buy, rent or wait…
Australia’s total land value has soared past $10 trillion, according to new ABS data — yet ordinary workers continue to shoulder most of the nation’s tax load. Prosper Australia says the figures highlight the need to rebalance the tax system…
133rd Henry George Commemorative Dinner Address by Professor Sock-Yong Phang, Singapore Management University, Kelvin Club, Melbourne, 15 August 2024 Value capture and affordable housing: insights from Singapore Good evening, everyone. Thank you, Dr Tim Helm for the kind introduction.…
Prosper Australia today declared its disappointment at the state budget inaction on housing and tax reform. “The Housing Statement declared a goal of 800,000 new homes over the next decade, yet this budget contains only minor announcements on an increased…
Presentation to the Planning Institute of Australia’s Victorian Conference, October 13, 2023 Today I want to take you on a rapid intellectual journey, a therapeutic crash-course, to convince you all to stop worrying about housing affordability – and instead, to…
Legislative Council Legal and Social Issues Committee 7 July 2023 Thank you for the opportunity to submit to the Legal and Social Issues Committee’s inquiry into rental and housing affordability. Prosper Australia is an independent research institute formed over 100…
Prosper’s latest report sounds a cautionary note for policymakers placing market supply at the centre of affordable housing policy. Report author, Dr Tim Helm, Prosper’s Director of Research and Policy, described the report, entitled “Melbourne’s pandemic rental dynamics: an (un)natural…
The confrontation over Victoria’s Social and Affordable Housing Levy may have been short lived when the proposed levy was quickly dropped after conniptions by the property lobby but the shibboleth that property taxes represent a large proportion of the cost of buying a house is economic propaganda that just won’t die.