Thread by @swardley

Having a wander around St Kilda, it's a sleepy town compared to the hustle and bustle that was Seattle. The pace of life appears much more gentle.

It also appears to be a place in some transition. Certain parts are quite run down but populated by people. Other parts (i.e. the beach front) contain many beautiful buildings but they seem devoid of life.

What is also noticeable is the number of former houses converted into flats ... given how much space there is in Australia, I'll guess that some have manufactured an artificial housing crisis?

I.e. there is a lot of building work going on but most of it is conversions to smaller flats or extensions to palaces. Very little "new" build. Often means we have companies with large land banks.

So, I'll take a guess ... massive house price inflation, crap transportation, people locked in with huge debt, a few making it large and crooked politicians with no real choice? How far off am I?

Odd thing is that such a situation needs TINA (there is no alternative) to be out in force i.e. any politician who might change the situation :-
a) is a danger to society
b) would cause a recession
c) fear, fear and more dollops of fear.
.... doesn't seem like Oz.

I'm pretty sure the "Men at Work" song was about a land down under where people "thunder" rather than "cower under concerns of a slight interest rate rise". It all seems a bit odd. Still, you can't read too much into a walk.