As Australians endure the latest acute phase of a decades-long housing crisis, why are property owners allowed to leave homes derelict and prime land vacant indefinitely?
Experimental Bureau of Statistics data compiled from federal government administrative records and electricity usage estimates that about 1.3 per cent of Australian homes were empty in mid-2021 — that’s up to 140,000 vacant dwellings.
That data may have been skewed by some people exiting city centres during COVID, but it’s clear that tens of thousands of homes around the country are empty, with many of them vacant so long they’re now derelict.
One option, favoured by many economists, to rebalance that financial equation and incentivise owners to put vacant properties back into use is land tax.
“Contrary to popular belief, there actually is no constitutional protection for private property at state level in Australia,” explains Professor Sherry.
Ultimately, it owns all the land as the “Crown”, and private ownership is nothing more than a legislatively protected right of exclusive occupation and possession … again within legal boundaries set by the state.
“In liberal democratic states, we put a very high value on personal freedom and autonomy, which is why we generally can do as we please in our own homes,” Professor Sherry argues.
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Experimental Bureau of Statistics data compiled from federal government administrative records and electricity usage estimates that about 1.3 per cent of Australian homes were empty in mid-2021 — that’s up to 140,000 vacant dwellings.
That data may have been skewed by some people exiting city centres during COVID, but it’s clear that tens of thousands of homes around the country are empty, with many of them vacant so long they’re now derelict.
One option, favoured by many economists, to rebalance that financial equation and incentivise owners to put vacant properties back into use is land tax.
“Contrary to popular belief, there actually is no constitutional protection for private property at state level in Australia,” explains Professor Sherry.
Ultimately, it owns all the land as the “Crown”, and private ownership is nothing more than a legislatively protected right of exclusive occupation and possession … again within legal boundaries set by the state.
“In liberal democratic states, we put a very high value on personal freedom and autonomy, which is why we generally can do as we please in our own homes,” Professor Sherry argues.
The original article contains 1,096 words, the summary contains 183 words. Saved 83%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!