Fresh Economic Thinking provides custom economics training, presentations and workshops for organisations that want their people to understand the economics behind the issues they work on.
If there are economic concepts, debates, or blind spots your team needs a genuine handle on, then please reach out.
Previous training events have focussed on:
The economics of housing, planning and cities
Resource taxation and management
Corruption and favouritism risks and their minimisation
Land and Housing Economics for Professionals
Have you noticed that home prices usually rise even when supply increases, or that zoning reforms often fail to reduce prices? Are you still uncertain whether land banking is rational or conspiratorial?
Dr Murray is the author of The Great Housing Hijack and publishes extensively in academic and media outlets. He teaches economics to industry leaders in Australia and the Middle East and has designed this workshop to upskill property professionals involved in investment and management, valuation, planning, research and public policy.
This is an experiential workshop promoting active discussion and debate. A variety of topical examples and case studies are integrated into the workshop activities to help participants apply these lessons and guide their future decision-making.
Here are the upcoming dates for 2026.
Melbourne: 10-11th November 2026 (book here)
Sydney: 17-19th November 2026 (book here)
Participants will walk away able to answer the above questions and:
Appreciate how property rights can be crafted in a variety of ways to incentivise resource allocation to high-value uses via scarcity and trade.
Identify how five powerful economic forces constrain market outcomes in terms of prices, rents, density, supply, and the spatial patterns of our cities.
Have the ability to incorporate the logic of cycles into their analysis of property markets and policy.
Be equipped to assess how policy settings interact with market forces beyond the simple first-order effects commonly debated in the media.
Here’s what Paula said about her experience at a previous workshop:
“Thank you for a brilliant two days. I love economics but it’s been a while so I was worried I would struggle to keep up. Thanks to you I didn’t struggle and was not bored at any point. The interactive nature of the event was perfect.”
Attendees are provided with a workbook (mini textbook) to keep for future reference and a copy of the book The Great Housing Hijack.
Who should attend?
Professionals in property, such as investors and developers, who want to understand the emergent patterns in the broader market.
Town planners and policymakers who want to understand the market and how policy changes will work.
Economists who study housing and property looking to enhance their knowledge.
Social and affordable housing advocates and businesses looking to
Researchers in housing and property who want to expand the scope of their economic knowledge.
Printable flyers with schedule/content
Download them below
Other workshops
Property economics for planners (via Planning Institute Australia)
A two half-day workshop on the economic incentives property owners face when choosing to develop new projects, including optimising density, and how planning regulations interact with these incentives. For PIA members.
Property taxation for planners (via Planning Institute Australia)
A two half-day workshop designed for town planners interested in taxation and the economics of land values. Participants learn:
The residual land value (RLV) model that forms the basis for understanding the economic effects of planning on land values.
Key concepts relating to economic efficiency in taxation, including the tax base, incidence, and excess burden.
Key concepts relating to equity within planning and urban development processes, including the beneficiary pays principle, betterment, and land value capture.
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