Henry George and the Australian Economic Association: On Land Ownership and Land Taxation (Essay‪)‬

Abstract: The ideas of Henry George on land ownership and land taxation were vigorously debated amongst members of the Australian Economic Association, founded in Sydney in 1887. The visit of George to Australia in 1890 for a three-month lecture tour gave further stimulus to the debate. Some of the members strongly supported George, but most were opposed, for various reasons: economic and ethical. However, there was a surprising degree of support for the principle of land nationalisation. This paper summarises the main arguments, for and against, and asks whether they are relevant to the problems of land speculation, land taxation and the affordability of urban land today. Introduction