Investment & Economics Wiki

Prosper Australia — Research and Speculative Vacancies Reports

2 min read

Executive Summary

Prosper Australia (formerly Earthsharing Australia) is Australia’s leading land value taxation advocacy organization, founded on Georgist principles. Under research director Karl Fitzgerald, Prosper publishes the annual Speculative Vacancies Report — documenting how many Melbourne properties sit empty for speculation rather than use — and broader research on land cycles in the Australian context. This work provides the Australian empirical evidence base for the cycle framework.

Key Research Outputs

Speculative Vacancies Report (Annual)

  • Tracks properties with zero or near-zero water usage → proxy for vacancy → proxy for speculation
  • Melbourne data shows 10,000+ properties vacant for speculation annually
  • Provides direct empirical evidence that land speculation (not housing shortage) drives price bubbles
  • The concept page speculative-vacancy was built from this research

Fred Harrison Australia Connection

  • Harrison toured Australia in 2008, sponsored by Prosper/Earthsharing Australia
  • Fitzgerald wrote extensively on Harrison’s work and its Australian applications
  • The earthsharing.org.au archive documents these connections (see 2026-05-03-earthsharing-harrison-archive)

LVT Advocacy

  • Prosper campaigns for annual land value tax as the structural solution to real estate cycles
  • Research supports the argument that LVT would reduce speculative demand, stabilize prices, and fund public services
  • Connected to Karl Fitzgerald’s testimony and submissions to Australian housing inquiries

Significance for the PSE Framework

  • Provides Australian market context for the 18.6-year cycle
  • The speculative vacancy data is concrete, empirical proof of land speculation — not theoretical
  • Bridges the academic Georgist tradition (Gaffney, Harrison) with on-the-ground activist research

Cross-References

Graph View