Tony O'Brien

[2000]

Born Sydney 1945. Grew up in Melbourne. Drafted into the army in 1965 at age 20. Served 1 year in infantry in Vietnam 1966 - 67, about which I was very unhappy but too green or stupid or both to avoid.

Returned and reintroduced into civilian life mid 1967.

Left the country in disgust a few months later and travelled in Europe. Lived in Paris for a year in 1968 - 69. Settled in UK in 1970.

Started working as a landscape gardener a couple of years later, and pursued that career from then on. Was introduced to Georgism via the London School of Economic Science in the mid seventies and have been learning ever since.

Married, had 1 child then returned to Australia in 1978. Settled in Adelaide; two more children.

Set up own design and construction business in 1978 and continued till about 1997, then started working for an organisation teaching young unemployed people landscaping and other related skills.

Currently on a veterans pension due to ill health. I have been very involved in the Georgist movement here for the last few years, mainly writing and researching. I contribute one article every two months to Progress, the journal of Tax Reform Australia. I also publish material on the TRA website and on the Earthsharing site managed by Bryan Kavanagh. I have recently had published my first article in Land and Liberty and have contributed an article to Fred Harrison's soon to be published 'Geophilos'.

I am active in the Land Values Research Group, a Georgist group whose only 2 current active members are myself and Bryan Kavanagh. We are currently engaged in a project which aims to identify and quantify total site and resource rents in Australia. Our intention is to use the published results of this research as the basis of a funding application to The Lincoln Foundation or other body to fund the preparation of a dynamic economic model showing the impact of the adoption of a site rent system in Australia in place of all current taxation.