MEDIA RELEASE | WEDNESDAY 2 April 2025
Little-Known Solution to Housing Crisis Could Be the Answer,
New Report Finds
A new report by Grounded highlights a little-known but transformative approach to tackling Australia’s housing crisis: Community Land Trusts (CLTs). The report, Grounded in Affordability, reveals that CLTs could enable people to purchase homes with deposits up to 60% lower than the market average.
Karl Fitzgerald, the founder and Director of Grounded, explains, “The housing market is a mess, and our politicians are ushering out the same old policies that got us here in the first place.” While Labor has promised $6.3b for its Help to Buy scheme, Community Land Trusts are an innovative policy tracking prices back to the reality of our wages.
“CLTs are the reset button we’ve been waiting for. With CLT residents paying it forward, money is saved each decade to seed the next CLT. They offer long-term affordability, not just for the first buyer—but for generations to come.”
With affordability at an all-time low, Grounded calls on governments to stop wasting billions on policies that inflate prices and start investing in CLTs—a proven model used successfully in the UK and US.
“CLTs dramatically reduce barriers to homeownership, with deposits up to 60% lower than the market average and long-term savings of 39% on housing costs,” Fitzgerald said.
“CLTs have the power to transform local economies—one 20-home project alone can generate $308,000 annually for communities, contributing over $9 million in economic activity over 30 years.”
“The Australian Dream doesn’t have to be a fantasy,” Fitzgerald added. “We just need the courage to let go of broken ideas and invest in models that work.”
What Are Community Land Trusts?
A Community Land Trust is a unique model of housing ownership where a not-for-profit organisation owns the land, while individual households own or lease the homes on it. This structure keeps land out of the speculative market, ensuring homes remain affordable and accessible for generations.
“CLTs are a novel but underutilised way to address Australia’s housing crisis. In moments of crisis, we cannot continue with the same policies that got us here in the first place,” Fitzgerald adds. “We need to try policies like CLTs, which foster a ‘we, not me’ culture around housing, shifting the focus on housing from profit to community benefit.”
For more information on CLTs please refer to Grounded’s report attached to this email.
Join Us for the Launch Event:
The Grounded in Affordability report will officially launch on April 2 at 6:30 PM at the QVWC (210 Lonsdale St, Melbourne VIC 3000). Public Event: Register here & Livestream: Register here
