Commerce
The doctrine of market infallibility
We lived during a magnificent time
When growth was endless and everyone placed bets on black swans & grey rhinos & shiny tech unicorns. When societal choices could only be framed in economic terms. When private enterprise was trusted over the public sector to meet all of society's needs. When the only entity wielding legitimate power was the market and the state existed only to remove all barriers to the concentration growth of wealth
People rose or fell solely according to their own efforts. Currency was democratised. Riches could only usually seldom never be acquired by inheritance, nepotism, hypergamy, corruption, rent-seeking or the bubbling of assets
Monetarism, financialisation, the free movement of capital & people, deregulation, shareholder value, small government, nimble competition, resilient optimism, flourishing foreign investment, robust micro-economic & productivity-enhancing reforms and — obviously — completely unfettered markets were the only possible way to determine the fair value of everything, and deliver exclusive significant universal benefits for oligarchs CEOs family-trusts investors stakeholders all
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Everywhere the glint of gold
Vibrant cities crammed full of soaring casinos, buzzing with enеrgy, innovation and excitement
Microflite City Helipad, Yarra River Melbourne [Apr-2019 292KB]
Within easy reach
Affordable mortgages were flying out the door (ABC News, 2024)
Art Gallery of NSW window view, Sydney [Mar-2019 309KB]
2020 visions
[✓] Restricted trading hours
[✓] Patron number limits
[✓] Temperature checks
[✓] Sign–in attendance records
[✓] Perspex table–shields
[ ] 1.5m social distancing
The Celsius Café at Kirribilli Wharf adapts to business conditions under COVID–19 [Nov-2020 394KB]
Surrogate activities
A patina of robust growth was maintained by creating an archipelago of empty construction sites
Construction hoardings at Green Square [Nov-2018 309KB]
Rent not Enterprise
[…] we here highly resolve that these mortgagors shall not have borrowed in vain — that this realm, under Banks, shall have a new birth of fiefdom — and that government of the landlords, by the landlords, for the landlords, shall not perish from the earth
Vacant commercial land at Lawson in the Blue Mountains [Jan-2012 108KB]
Back to the Futuregate
The excitement was palpable. Needless to say, everyone was talking about staring down the barrel of a perfect storm, while waiting for a perfect fairytale ending for the history books
Media–workers at the Sydney Opera House [Jul-2014 347KB]
Crisis misdirection
Much hand–wringing about the “rental crisis” ignored the plight of hard–working mum & dad investors, who had to cope with property managers, council & water rates, landlord insurance, punitive land taxes, repairs & high–quality maintenance, capital gains tax, negative gearing, self–managed superannuation, family trusts, inflation, sky–rocketing interest rates and pastoral care for their tenants
Elizabeth Street block of flats, Surry Hills [Jul-2023 262KB]
Retail ziggurat
The spiritual apex of our economy was the domestic–consumption model
Shopping trolleys huddle beneath the mobile–phone towers on top of Marketplace Leichhardt [Sep-2010 437KB]
Defenestrate your livelihood
We mortgaged the future and bet it all on there not being one
Waverton Coal Loader wharf [Feb-2022 587KB]
Remarks
Knowledge–based economy
If you could no longer make a profit by making things, then you could profitably spend your time making things up
Queen Victoria Building escalators, near Sydney Town Hall [Jan-2012 285KB]
Non–pharmaceutical interventions
A command economy emerged in everything but name
Taped off seating, Sydney Centrepoint [Apr-2020 194KB]
Attainder by process
The most efficient way to neutralise dissent was by levelling the playing–field
Philip Lodge Motel demolition at Haberfield [Jun-2016 433KB]
Tourism added value
Macro–economic growth models prove that tourism contributes towards complete growth and development of a country: one, by bringing numerous economic value & benefits; and, second, helping in build country’s brand value, image & identity
(Market Width Blog, 2018)
Christmas Day tourists at the Sydney Opera House [Dec-2001 366KB]
Remarks
Trickle the wealth to make your heart sing
Our system endured for so long because enough of the electorate believed they still had some chance of getting rich (Citigroup, 2005)
Begging for loose change near Sydney Town Hall [Sep-2016 431KB]
Happy Hour
Paul Strand took a walk down Collins Street and discovered a rich harvest for publicans to reap
Devonshire Street, Surry Hills [Jul-2023 229KB]
Exit strategy
A golden transit through the ages, with better things yet to come
Fig Street tunnel, Ultimo [Jul-2017 470KB]
Both feet on the ladder
Everyone became multi–millionaires by flipping properties bought for pennies decades ago
Renovations in suburban Stanmore [Sep-2012 184KB]
Conjectures & hearsay
I’m the number one developer–builder on the face of the Earth. I made it on my own and I did become number one.
(Nassif, 2024)
The defect–riddled Vicinity Apartment block in Canterbury [Oct-2015 285KB]
Ponzimonium
Jeffrey Keith Skilling (Enron Corp); Walter Forbes (Cendant Corp); Richard Fuld (Lehman Brothers); Bernard Lawrence Madoff (Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC); Satoshi Nakamoto (Bitcoin); Ruja Ignatova (OneCoin); Markus Braun (Wirecard); Sam Bankman–Fried (FTX); 권도형 (Terraform Labs); 赵长鹏 (Binance); Sergei Panteleevich Mavrodi (MMM Global); Elizabeth Anne Holmes (Theranos Inc.); Trevor Milton (Nikola Motor Company); Alan Bond (Bond Corporation Holdings Ltd); David Walsh (Bre-X Minerals Ltd.); 錢培琛 (M. Knoedler & Co.); 许家印 (Evergrande Group); Thomas Joseph Petters (Petters Group Worldwide); Trương Mỹ Lan (Sai Gon Joint Stock Commercial Bank); Marc Stuart Dreier (Dreier, LLP); Michael I. “Mickey” Monus (Phar Mor); Ramón Báez Figueroa (Banco Intercontinental); Scott W. Rothstein (Rothstein Rosenfeldt Adler)
Wedding Cake Rock, RNP [Jul-2019 211KB]
Remarks
Hard economic tithes
[…] “excuse–flation” was the practice of using general inflation as a camouflage for bumping up prices. It was closely related to “greed–flation” and consumers put up with it because the cover story sounded legitimate, with blame usually attributed to the pandemic, Ukraine conflict, or the most opaque reason of all — supply chain disruptions
(The Guardian, 2024)
Light rail payment station, Town Hall [Apr-2024 558KB]
Down from the mountain
… and into the markdowns
Leura antique store [Oct-2018 228KB]
Financial ouroboros
Australian banks are very exposed to the housing market. Around 60 per cent of their lending is for housing. And housing is also common collateral for loans to small and medium businesses. A decline in housing prices impacts the value of that collateral but of itself does not necessarily lead to losses.
(RBA, 2021)
Ex–bank branch waiting to be re–purposed, Newtown [Jan-2022 223KB]
From jobs to careers to callings
The entire nature of employment changed. We didn’t know where the new jobs would come from, but we knew they would surely come
Food franchise cart on 37th Street, NYC [Oct-2017 382KB]
Zero sum game
The links between free trade, a rules–based trade order and rising global prosperity was self–evident: designed in the USA → marketed from the UK → incorporated in the British Virgin Islands → manufactured by Uyghur forced–labour → shipped via Panama → channelled through a Singaporean marketing–hub → transfer–priced through Luxembourg → laundered in a Melbourne casino → banked in the Cayman Islands → stashed in a Geneva Freeport vault → splurged on trophy homes, superyachts, private jets, racing cars, helicopters, independent school fees, offshore trusts, protection rackets, parties, mistresses, divorce lawyers, bribes and political favours… in New York, Beijing, Gstaad, Plovdiv, Riyadh, Lagos, Dubai, Bellevue Hill and Londongrad
Shipping container facility at Tempe, near Sydney Airport [Sep-2012 283KB]
Depression in anything but name
Streets full of shuttered businesses & construction sites. Deserted cafés & ubiquitous shoplifting. Meme stocks, mobile scams & rampant online gambling… Yet gig–economy jobs, unpaid overtime, house prices & aggregate GDP kept rising, retirees were still slapping credit cards onto cruise–ship counters, grandparents were buying caravans and covering independent school fees, whilst Treasury forecasts kept predicting economic growth rebounding later on — so everything was fine, really
Shuttered takeaway outlet, Regent Street Redfern [Jul-2023 75KB]
Protest if you must
The transition from command to free–market economy was completely seamless
At the main entrance to Gorky Park. The large white placard says: Crazy prices for the crazy government of the White Madhouse!
Ten minutes after this photo I was approached by a middle–aged guy in a leather coat who asked for a cigarette, then proceeded question me in a friendly manner using pretty good English [Dec-1991 266KB]
Practising our future
There was always plenty of money for whatever appealed to our sense of adventure
Abandoned front yard sailing yacht, Kirribilli [Jan-2020 530KB]
Business service industries
The only way to counter economic headwinds was by being more nimble than the market
Finance workers at Australia Square [Dec-2004 325KB]
Structural Ugliness
Ironically regress the trend curve to make the feeds pop
Orthopaedic sandals at the QVB Arcade, Sydney [Nov-2020 353KB]
Agile entrepreneurs
[✓] Surveillance cameras
[✓] Motion–activated floodlights
[✓] Canvas–covered windows
[✓] 3m high fencing
[✓] Steel chained front gates
[✓] Threatening no–trespass signs
[✓] Resourceful SMEs servicing a niche–market
Domestic security on Neville Street in Marrickville [Sep-2012 449KB]
Dog–boxes in the sky
Positive towards the future. Positive towards development. Positive towards growth, healthy capital gains, free enterprise and nimble competition
Spacious and exclusively appointed apartments at Broadway, near Central [Jul-2016 216KB]
Flip the city
The introduction of ride–share forced taxi drivers to become victims of their own success
Taxi driver waiting for a fare at Pitt Street, Sydney CBD [Apr-2005 155KB]
A touch of Bucharest
Boulevards of unoccupied homes, lined with wilted corpse flowers
Rose Street terraces, Chippendale [May-2023 462KB]
A unique opportunity to diversify your portfolio
We’re not suggesting the $3.6M starting guide is cheap, but for a family home it’s surprisingly good value. Just a hop, skip & jump to independent schools and a leisurely stroll to hatted dining or buzzy cafés. 12–foot sun–soaked absolute frontage, flexible 3 bed layout, 1½ baths, a 112m² level block with rear access, and tastefully renovated throughout with careful attention to period detail, along with exquisite magazine–worthy touches. So bring your builder & exploit the potential of this undercapitalised gem!
Terraced houses for rent or sale, Redfern [Jul-2023 431KB]
Driven by unceasing mobility
Remember the physical–distancing rule and only travel when essential
Waiting for the Cronulla Ferry at Bundeena Wharf [Aug-2020 300KB]
Remarks
Ford to city: Drop Dead
The acolytes of Moses & Le Corbusier enjoyed the fruits of Socialism In One Class
The southern ramp to the Anzac Bridge expressway, at Pyrmont in Sydney [Jan-2013 202KB]
An intricate system of inefficiency
Our elites focused more upon growing the economic pie than on how it was divided
Darling Harbour Marina [Jan-2017 176KB]
Hidden variables
Not everyone was sold on the idea of retail therapy
Fast fashion store, George Street Sydney [Jul-2024 495KB]
Tyburn revisited
Decades of back–room infrastructure deals & favours continued unabated
Sydney Metro Project construction site, Martin Place [Jul-2019 272KB]
Delivery apps were so convenient
HungryPanda, Foodora, Uber Eats, DoorDash, EASI, Menulog, Deliveroo, Hey You, GrubHub, goPuff, EatNow, Yelp… We imported an underclass of self–employed contractors to zip around and deliver perfect Laksa, authentic Pad Thai, pork–filled Mooncakes, Tiger Milk bubble–tea, gluten–free Dumplings and vegan Banh Mi
Food delivery rider at Broadway, Sydney [Apr-2020 178KB]
Remarks
Rebalance the value exchange
With rates at five–thousand–year lows (until 2022), cheap debt could not be blamed
Used–car yard at Parramatta Road Granville [Apr-2017 247KB]
Remarks
Grasp the lucky charm
Get in line for that $100M feeling
Lottery ticket buyers, Galleries Victoria QVB [Jan-2024 425KB]
Canyons of gold
The decision to pour billions of dollars into empty commercial property turned out to be spectacular
Castlereagh Street buildings, Sydney [Jan-2019 147KB]
Tax cuts made us rich
According to the ABS, the median Australian yearly income in 2024 was $67 600. Using the Stage III tax cuts calculator, this yielded a tax reduction of $1369 per annum, or $26.33 per week — which was just enough for a large family pizza
Enmore Road Pizza, Enmore [Jul-2024 196KB]
The cranes were flying
At one stage there were more construction cranes along the Australian eastern coast than in all the major cities in the USA (ABC News, 2016)
Tower crane jibs at Lewisham [Sep-2015 162KB]
Unearthing the past
The house was gone and the yard excavated so deep that every trace of your childhood was obliterated
What was once 12 Kensington Street, Kogarah [Apr-2011 346KB]
Variable schedule of reinforcement
Anyhow…™ we Thought Different™, Opened Happiness™ and Flew the Friendly Skies™ because We Were Worth It™
Anachronistic men’s fashion advertising, Pitt Street Sydney [Mar-2024 297KB]
Look back in covfefe
Part of being a winner is knowing when enough is enough. Sometimes you have to give up the fight and walk away, and move on to something that’s more productive
(Trump, 1987)
Trump impersonator on Broadway, NYC [Oct-2017 307KB]
Remarks
Reflating the economy
Old debt could be easily retired by taking on new debt
Tumbalong Park attractions, Darling Harbour [Jul-2014 290KB]
Retail was your future
Nostalgia and optimism were the only things that kept newsagents alive
South Sydney newsagent, Redfern [Jul-2023 461KB]
The emporium struck back
Department stores battled heroically against an invisible enemy
Storm–troopers at the David Jones lift–well [Jan-2019 85KB]
Borderline conundrum
Self–service was self–defeating when there was no service to serve
Due to COVID–19 travel restrictions, unused self–service check–in and baggage drop facilities at Sydney Airport’s T1 International Terminal, Friday afternoon 12:30 pm [Oct-2020 219KB]
Epistemic insouciance
Full speed ahead for transient high–rollers from the sky (ABC News, 2020)
Crown casino construction, Barangaroo [Jan-2020 193KB]
Remarks
Bubble watch
Rising property prices were carefully manipulated to create more economic winners than losers
Spectators on the steps of the former CBC Bank, Martin Place [Apr-2006 243KB]
Remarks
Stroking the hidden hand
Like 19th century Paris or London, it was an article of faith that everyone was free to choose their own destiny
Tents for the homeless unhoused at Wentworth Park, Sydney [Jul-2017 527KB]
Cargo Culte
We lounged about in ill–fitting uniforms, languidly pressing buttons on small screens… waiting for the day He would return, bearing magnificent gifts
Palm tree outside the abandoned St Mary & St Mina’s Coptic Orthodox Church at Sydenham. In May 2017 it was damaged by a suspicious fire and subsequently demolished [Sep-2012 347KB]
Remarks
Learn to love your job
Part–time Tree–surfing Instructor; Diversity & Inclusion Officer; Co–Chair of the World Federation of Public Health Associations Indigenous Working Group; Thought Leader; Animal Naturopath; Intimacy Coordinator; Sensitivity Editor; Trans–activist & Genderqueer Consultant; Death Doula; Gallerist & Valuer; TikTok™ Scholar; Taco Queen; Equal–Opportunity Policy Officer; Marriage & Family Therapy Intern; Drag Designer; Life Coach; Change Management Coach; Neuro–Linguistic Programming Trainer; Pilates Instructor; Lecturer in Sports Management; Early Childhood Educator; Eyebrow Sculptress; Somatic Therapist; Content Creator; Lived Experience Worker; Reflexologist; Waste Data Handler; Cultural Change Agent; Freelance Restaurant Critic; Jumping Castle Franchisee; Über Delivery Partner; Airtasker Tasker; Emerging Pastry Chef; Latte Artist; Dance Movement Assessor; Chief Resilience Officer; Junior Communications Executive; Campaign Advancer; Senior Curatorial Assistant; Unicorn Wrangler; Trend Forecaster; Stunt Curator; Trainee Personal Trainer; Semi–retired B–girl; Chief Brand and Impact Officer; Beauty Influencer; Consultant Shepherd; Innovation Sherpa; Product Placement Jedi; Experience Designer; Interim Social Media & Engagement Producer; Relieving Elation Officer
Market Street escalators at Centrepoint, Sydney [Aug-2018 323KB]
Volunteer for service
The only thing that kept us going was charity
Anzac Day Red Cross volunteers, Hyde Park Sydney [Apr-2023 634KB]
Potential mountain views
Amenity and Community were not mutually exclusive
Swiss construction poles, Zermatt CH [Feb-2024 219KB]
Α Ω
Every last particle of our faith was poured into equities & real–estate
Birrell Street front yard, Bondi Junction [Oct-2018 447KB]
The customer was king
Everything you could possibly ever want, at your fingertips
Supermarket checkout, Nepean Village Penrith [Apr-2003 259KB]
Remarks
Tulips in the rough
Tax laws were revised to ensure the price of land–banked property would increase by more each day than most people could earn in a week
Irelands Road in Blacktown, western Sydney [Dec-2012 535KB]
Potemkin Prosperity
The central irony of the financial crisis was that while it was caused by too much confidence, too much borrowing & lending and too much spending — it could only be resolved with more confidence, more borrowing & lending, and more spending
(Summers, 2011)
Green shoots at the Westpac plaza in Sydney [Jan-2014 529KB]
Remarks
green shoots, it took a lot of searching to find a corporate environment which actually had them
Thrusting for yield
Social experiments were gleefully imposed from above
Construction cranes at Australian Technology Park [Mar-2018 186KB]
Twilight’s last gleaming
So we slid down the Phillips Curve until we reached the Minsky Moment
Construction hoarding at Barangaroo, Sydney [Sep-2016 190KB]
All snakes, no ladders
We stuck to the plan, even though we kept changing it
Subterranean utilities footpath markings outside the QVB [Apr-2015 628KB]
Fierce, Wonderful & Closed
What little trade there was bled out slowly
Café noticeboard during a level–four lockdown in Katoomba. Eighteen months later it finally went out of business during another extended lockdown [Apr-2020 302KB]
Consumer karoshi
A culture had to be created in which self–sacrifice was indispensable
Market Street escalators at Centrepoint, Sydney [Jan-2016 278KB]
Remarks
Mega–dollar slums
Disintegrating verandahs + thumb–wide cracks + Aspergillus from foundation to eaves ≡ A bit of a fixer–upper for sure, but the bones of the property seem pretty decent and it’s got a fair bit of character. With some elbow–grease and a fresh lick of paint, this diamond of a home, buried deep in the rough, could be turned into the envy of all your clients & friends!
Ex seminary on Forbes Street, Newtown [May-2022 487KB]
Creative Destruction
The most effective way to boost productivity was by reducing the number of employees
What for decades was the abandoned White Bay Power Station at Rozelle. $100M was spent in 2023 to convert it into a venue for the 2024 Sydney Biennale [Jan-2013 216KB]
The next big thing
Stuff all your fiat–money into the slot to not only enjoy a lifetime of passive income, but also help the DPRK address its balance of payments issues (TRM, 2025)
Bitcoin ATM, Katoomba [Jun-2023 98KB]
Go for growth mate
We’ll get an army of casuals to collect our night–soil, just like a hundred years ago
Outdoor toilet and “dunny lane”, Lithgow NSW [Jun-2019 485KB]
Taming animal spirits
There is something more systematic about the way people behave irrationally, especially during periods of economic stress
(Greenspan, 2013)
Lunchtime in a George Street amusement arcade, demolished a few years later [Sep-2003 209KB]
Remarks
Shadow workforce
Chronic mass unemployment was eventually solved by changing survey methodology and definitions
Red flags at the Circular Quay promenade [Jul-1992 546KB]
Remarks
Dutch disease done right
Not to worry. If the economy works the way the textbook says, the gain to miners should flow through to the economy, causing higher wages and tax receipts
(Gittins, 2017)
Remnants of the 2000’s resources boom at Lithgow [Aug-2012 340KB]
Quality by design
Exclusively appointed apartments riddled with gross structural defects
Nevada Apartments remediation at Darling Point [Dec-2018 282KB]
Investment vehicle
Many argued housing affordability wasn’t the real problem
“Tiny House” on wheels, Enmore Park [May-2023 520KB]
Extremely well served
Only the most desirable suburbs were serviced by regular bus, rail and ferry routes
The F5 Neutral Bay ferry leaves Kirribilli wharf [Nov-2020 259KB]
Espresso Kultur
The al fresco revolution gave tantalising significance to our busy lives
Outdoor café seating at Little Eveleigh street, Redfern [Sep-2020 394KB]
From blue to fluoro collar
Vast sums were borrowed to create a cornucopia of employment opportunities
Re–tiling the Sydney Opera House forecourt [Jul-2014 247KB]
Faceless ramparts
The city filled with empty offices, yet few had the courage to admit why
Liberty Place, Castlereagh Street Sydney [Jul-2023 241KB]
The one sure bet
The most prudent investment turned out to be canned goods and ammunition
Financial reporter at the Sydney ASX [Oct-2018 192KB]
Remarks
Rust belt potential
Our suburbs were rife with agility, propagation and replacement
Lett Lane, Lithgow [Jun-2019 449KB]
User–pays model
We rejected “the generational bargain” because it was foolish to pay for things we would never live to use
Government hoarding at Westpac Plaza, Barangaroo [Aug-2016 296KB]
Forging a new deal
The transition from manufacturing to a financialised economy was completely seamless
Derelict Ford truck at The Grounds of Alexandria. Revisited in July 2023 and by then the Ford was mostly overgrown [Apr-2018 553KB]
Remarks
Good sports with your money
Dragon boat races in the afternoon, Thursday night drinks in the firm with the lads; City lights twinkle on the harbour far below; Fetch whole legs of ham from the kitchen to hang on the walls of the partners’ dining room, then stash the original artworks in the ladies toilet a few floors down; Ollie laughed so much he threw up; Piggyback steeplechase around the associates’ floor, with upended desks as hurdles; Loot an old jockey cap from a senior–partner’s office and use our neck–ties as whips; And then whooping and hollering and running and falling all over the place and pissing ourselves like it was the best night of our lives
The ghosts of corporate lawyering at Martin Place [Oct-2014 806KB]
No map and a broken compass
Cheap goods and MTV proved more effective than détente and ICBMs
Bric–a–brac stall on Tverskaya St, Moscow, beneath a memorial plaque to the soviet artist Pyotr Vasilyev [Dec-1991 400KB]
Remarks
Clip service
Media–workers could always revert to nostalgia for a past brimming with future promise
Elbon Arcade Testarossa Sammy–Santino men’s hairstylist (since relocated), Double Bay [Jan-2019 434KB]
Fresh food renaissance
People reacted to the industrialisation of our food supply by sourcing their groceries more directly from producers
Otago Saturday Farmers Market, Dunedin [May-2010 297KB]
Grooms of the stool
Seasoned corporate officers were remunerated vast amounts to inspire client–facing staff, adopt fairness standards, proselytise teamwork, touch base with consultants, curate compliance indicia, refresh workplace incentives, champion creativity, host dialogues, attend all–week back–to–backs, populate keynote dais, approve PowerPoints, assist Senate/ Parliament/ Department inquiries, form ad hoc committees, initiate 360° reviews, reschedule seminars, uncover inefficiencies, incentivise staff to work smarter not harder, reassure staff that AI will eliminate tasks not jobs, right–size payrolls, pick the winning lunchtime touch football team, draft Annual Report congratulatory remarks, examine interim proposals, query preliminary findings, query IT upgrade progress, elevate sales targets, inflate C–Suite bonuses, prognosticate about governance, speculate about proposed legislation, enforce non–compete clauses, corral reputational damage, litigate disparagement, mandate hot–desking, sign–off corner–office refurbishments, reaffirm tent–pole paradigms, conduct pre–incident preparations, liaise with People Services, plan for HR expansion, distribute Independence Training solutions, action scoping studies, explore loopholes, consider potential reforms & rule–changes, tick–off content audits, endorse check–lists, blue–sky strategise, identify synergies, embrace change, improve optics, shift goalposts, make quantum leaps, monitor DPO teams, extend KPIs, broaden PIPs, defer ESG scorecards, strategise CSR reports, blur AoRs, admire each other’s coiffures, reminisce about boarding school, critique brogues, delight in coffee blends, celebrate important birthdays, adjudge the hottest office WAG, determine business love–language boundaries, recast the brand ambassador’s role following her arrest, ponder modest subscription models, proliferate loyalty schemes, amend end–user agreements, financialise relationships, appraise discussion papers, propose in–house code amendments, helm corporate turnarounds, contemplate acquisitions, defend mergers, ensure messages stay on-message, keep line–managers in line, closely supervise communications fonts & bullet–points, approve lanyard colours, align the language used in Mission & Vision Statements, refresh talking–points, dispute learnings, mitigate critical findings, upwardly revise earning–projections, plan substantive frameworks for forthcoming roundtables and schedule crisis meetings to plan the firm’s response to the Royal Commission
Queen Street office building after hours, Melbourne [Apr-2019 148KB]
Practise social distancing
So we stayed home, most of the time
Townhall Arcade foot court [Jul-2021 172KB]
Reframe the narrative
The economic picture was one of continuing success
Bridge Street morning commute, Sydney [Mar-2024 341KB]
Unintended consequences
Our intellectual pursuits were driven by our deepest convictions
Edgecliff Railway station newsagent [Nov-2017 279KB]
Stakeholder
One could either use General Relativity field–equations to derive the Schwarzschild metric in n–dimensions, or else go shopping
Freezer aisle in the now defunct Franklins Supermarket, Katoomba [Dec-2003 262KB]
Remarks
A million jobs Mr Speaker
Decades of financialisation resulted in tremendous benefits for all to share
Shepherd Street factory yard, at Marrickville [Sep-2012 277KB]
Value in Shadowlands
From warehouses to office blocks to strategically unoccupied short–stay accommodation
Motorways and the former Caltex building, Sydney [Sep-2016 129KB]
Segregation now, tomorrow & forever
Only the most privileged could afford to live in their own city (SMH, 2024)
Distillery Drive cutting at Jacksons Landing, in Pyrmont [Jan-2013 343KB]
Remarks
See that big triangular thing at the end of the road? Care to explain how privacy law applies to a cable–stayed concrete bridge?…At least he had the grace to smile before driving off
Consumer kaizen
A mindset had to be developed in which our customers could live their authentic lives
High Street bus–stop, Penrith [Feb-2017 603KB]
Domain awareness gap
The financialisation of housing was regarded as being not only acceptable, but necessary
Toorak Road for–sale sign, Melbourne [Apr-2019 518KB]
The best money could buy
Of particular interest to ICAC has been the planning decisions along Canterbury Road and Charles Street, which saw some Liberal and Labor councillors voting together to approve developments which council’s planning staff had previously rejected due to non compliance
(SMH, 2017)
Apartment construction at Charles Str, Canterbury [Oct-2015 350KB]
Unyielding positivity
On a moonless night the captain raced his ship into an unseen ice–field →
Whilst acknowledging there may appear to be poor optics and regrettable client experiences, it’s crucial to remember that despite these temporary setbacks we always take customer safety extremely seriously
;
The ship then collided with an iceberg →
This is a contentious matter with broader complex cultural issues, that is going to cause a number of people some confusion but, going forward, even our harshest critics admit there are glimmers of hope and green shoots of optimism
;
The damaged ship rapidly took on water and listed dangerously →
As part of our vision to create a non–zero–sum paradigm, it may be temporarily necessary to cede ground and let the other side run with the ball for a while in order to guarantee future success
;
Some passengers ran about screaming →
Team members were proactively incentivised to facilitate collaborative eminence
;
Many others had to fight their way topside →
To continue to be part of our positive future, partners scaled peak–less mountains to cultivate growth mindsets
;
There weren’t anywhere near enough lifeboats →
Whilst focusing on one particular deficiency is unfair, the final number was an on–balance judgement and we are comfortable with where the settings lay
;
Only a wealthy few could secure places in the half–empty lifeboats →
It has been brought to our attention that personal on–boarding of inexperienced users may have meant there were misaligned, or perhaps even flawed, metrics to evaluate success
;
The ship sank, no one came the rescue, hundreds drowned in the freezing water →
We have a storied brand with a mission–driven team and take this incident extremely seriously. We can assure our stakeholders that thoughts and prayers have gone out to the families and loved–ones of those who failed to return. As part of our community obligations, we also work tirelessly to provide shoulder–to–shoulder support for those who may require it. Nevertheless, there have always been rare and anomalous events, where unforeseen technical and systems failures may uncover vulnerabilities and cause processes to fall a little short of expectations. The good news, however, is that we have seized upon this unique opportunity to launch a bespoke campaign to kick–start the next 100 years of growth and success!
Boutique shop–front redevelopment, Leura [Aug-2021 130KB]
In the circle of FIRE
There was such a vast fortune to be made from
rent–seeking rents &
fee for no service fees &
short–stay leases &
collateralised debt &
asset bubbles growth &
asset stripping recycling &
short–selling &
bear–raids &
related–party transactions &
trading commercial acceptance bills &
prediction markets &
spoofing &
layering &
rug pulls &
malinvestments democratising currency &
malinvestments crypto–mining &
malinvestments spot crypto–ETFs &
Hummingbots &
whale–trades &
mergers &
demergers &
gambling wagering &
grey–rhinos &
black–swans &
shiny tech unicorns &
private equity &
CryptoPunks &
Beanie Babies &
1000% Bearbricks &
provenance certified Labubus &
profit shifting consolidation &
overcooked ambitious profit projections &
300–year visions &
peer–to–peer lending &
off–balance–sheet funding &
liar sub–prime loans &
narco–state money–laundering emerging markets &
drug money laundering property portfolios &
terrorism financing emerging markets &
government consultancies &
flipping cities to ride–share &
tax evasion planning &
wealth concealment consolidation &
tax shelters family trusts &
tax shelters anonymous offshore trusts &
currency manipulation hedging against inflation &
Shanghai aged–care schemes &
German cum–ex trading schemes &
St. Kitts and Nevis Golden Visas &
concealing reinvesting petrostate billions &
cloud mining tokens &
golden moons &
Worldcoin iris scanning &
cash–for–visas &
child–pornography adult entertainment &
coal mining leases &
insurance fraud optimisation &
lying factual misstatements to corporate regulators &
rewriting updating independent reports &
unenforced enforceable–undertakings &
NAIRU–based inflation targeting &
dismantling reforming Bretton Woods &
quashing reforming Glass–Steagall &
hiring ex–ministers as senior regional advisers &
hiring the premier’s son and vice–chancellor’s daughter as summеr–interns &
influence peddling lobbying &
door–opening lobbying &
impunity spells lobbying &
moral–hazard exceptions lobbying &
guaranteed bailouts lobbying &
suspending customer withdrawals bank holidays &
exploiting insurance protection gaps &
using courts to reject insurance claims &
friendly Wagyu–beef–washed–down–with–finest–shiraz judgements &
swaps &
options &
swaptions &
binary options &
monetising reward–scheme data &
shifting customers to modest monthly subscriptions &
un–regulated self–regulated loyalty–point loans &
un–regulated self–regulated crypto–loans &
embezzle funds build wealth for chancers and grifters investors &
coaxing suckers small–investors to “buy the dips” &
“growth phase IPOs” &
CDOs &
CMOs &
CDFs &
LDIs &
FICCs &
REITs &
FAANGs &
SPACs &
BATs &
ELPs &
PGUCs &
P2Es &
POGOs &
NFTs &
BNPL &
NFSC &
LBOs &
FOMO &
FONGO &
concocting developing ever more arcane sophisticated financial instruments to conjure “assets” out of nothing to ensure money kept raining in torrents from the sky build wealth, that there was little point in doing anything else
The Elizabeth street façade of the Commonwealth Bank Building [Oct-2020 409KB]
North to Avoska
Before mobile phones, perhaps–bags accompanied us everywhere
Totes diptych at Hornsby and Town Hall, Sydney [Apr-2005 247KB]
Remarks
This engine of growth
It became obvious that markets could remain irrational for longer than investors could stay solvent
The window–display for Central Autohaus in Alexandria [Jun-2015 203KB]
Rocks & Crops
Diggers and drillers drew heartfelt inspiration from the island paradise of Naru
The Port Kembla coal terminal (PKCT) [Sep-2014 276KB]
Bank the win
Everyone in their shiny white mansions popped champagne corks and denounced the enemies of growth
Suburban Toorak, Melbourne [Apr-2019 238KB]
Exuberant expectations
Great success and performance created its own reality (Pfeffer, 2015)
Church Street car dealership, Parramatta [Apr-2017 225KB]
Not a house of cards then
People’s jobs depend on confidence and trust in the financial and banking system. And I can assure [everyone] that, despite the very disturbing and, indeed, shocking revelations we have seen in the Royal Commission, particularly of late, that these issues, while as abhorrent as they are, are completely separate from any question about the stability and strength of [our] banking and financial system.
(Morrison, 2018)
Pedestrian footbridge at Barangaroo [Apr-2016 248KB]
Have a go to get a go
Our financial success was entirely self–made and the result of a lifetime of love and labour. So we deserved to keep more of our hard–earned money
Hopetoun Road Toorak, Melbourne [Apr-2019 205KB]
Brand tornado crisis moment
Socially responsible trading continued during yet another level–four lockdown
George Street boutique — which closed within a few months [Jul-2021 160KB]
Frictionless intermediation
Because The Sharing Economy
sounded so much nicer than Regulation Evading Rapacious Neoliberal Extractive Venture Capitalism
(NYTimes, 2017)
Subterranean ingress and egress aperture cover at Watsons Bay [Dec-2014 816KB]
City of Yes
Shuttered shop–fronts guaranteed a bigger tax write–off
The closed Cadbury store in Mid City Shopping Centre, Sydney, which reopened a year later as a phone cover boutique [Dec-2023 598KB]
Too big to fail
It took a long time to establish a balanced equilibrium between collateralised debt and rising property values
Barangaroo office construction, Millers Point [Aug-2016 367KB]
From backpacks to chuggers
Street fundraising earned a poor reputation due to worker exploitation, dishonest begging techniques, and the realisation that most of the money was diverted for “administration” and staff wellbeing events
Australian Red Cross charity collectors at Martin Place, Sydney [Jan-2002 280KB]
One country, two systems
There was endless argument about Income Inequality, but careful silence about Wealth Redistribution
Woodcroft housing estate versus Harris Street Ultimo [Jan-2013 214KB]
Forever in Golconda
This time it really was different
Charging bull statue, NYC [Oct-2017 245KB]
In Goldman Sachs We Trust
The financial sector was the bedrock of our entire social structure and facilitated massive cultural progression. Whereas the 1960s were misspent on engineering, aerospace and NASA, the 2010s had financialisation, asset value growth and the ISDA
The financial district in eastern Sydney, with the rocket–shaped 1 O’Connell Street in the middle background [Jul-2011 157KB]
Custodians of the status quo
Stand on principle on the way up and you will miss the stampede; stand on principle on the way down and you will be run over
Even the pigeons lived in style at the St George Private Hospital Annex in Hogben Street, Kogarah [Apr-2011 133KB]
Just for show
Local residents became unpaid actors to provide an air of background authenticity
Katoomba tourist bus [Jun-2023 292KB]
A license to kill
There was nothing on your dinner table that wasn’t put there by hard–working road–freight professionals
The “roo bar” of a prime–mover at Kings Langley, near Blacktown [Aug-2015 381KB]
Filled with delight
Non–inclusive apartment developments on the site of a former gasworks
Breakfast Point apartments (formerly Mortlake Gasworks), Sydney [Jul-2014 234KB]
City of forgotten men
There’s class warfare all right, but it’s my class, the rich class, that’s making war and we’re winning
(Buffet, 2006)
Unhoused on George Street, Sydney [Aug-2014 463KB]
Flags of convenience
Our vision was to create a better everyday life, by getting our customers to do all the work
The united nations of IKEA, at Tempe [Sep-2012 131KB]
Optimal canine synergy
Councils advised you leverage your pets to boost the bottom line
Begging with dogs at the Pitt Street Mall, Sydney [Jan-2024 455KB]
Bury the lede
What better way to house embattled bureaucrats than in an anonymous four–storey suburban bunker?
NSW Rail Operations Centre, Mandible Street Alexandria [Jul-2023 258KB]
Handshake protocol
Contract for a knock–down–rebuild, then endure years of excuses as to why it took so long to construct a simple suburban house
Debris removal at Warrimoo. The original home was demolished in April 2020 and the replacement was only completed at the beginning of 2023 [Apr-2020 556KB]
A pattern of abundance
Wholesale deindustrialisation was the next stage in our collaborative journey
NTP Forklifts (since relocated), at Woodville Road Granville [Apr-2017 251KB]
Incentives to succeed
It was self–evident that the Rich were job creators and property booms were the most efficient way to redistribute wealth
The rear of a Korean restaurant, in a Pitt Street Lane near Town Hall [Oct-2012 330KB]
The golden hoard
Our cities filled with empty apartments ready to flip, owned by foreign capital through their local nominees
The construction boom at Wentworth Point [Sep-2016 305KB]
Stake your claim
Neighbourhood micro–businesses flourished when manufacturing moved offshore, creating ample opportunities for non–employees
Small business badge window display, Wentworth Street Port Kembla [Sep-2014 581KB]
Waiting for the great leap forward
From blue–collar heroes to the Kings of Kowloon, the third–world was just around the corner
Central Park development, at Broadway in Sydney [Jul-2012 188KB]
Roses of Picardy
The marriage industry flourished despite the widespread malaise and cynicism
Private wedding ceremony at St Marys Cathedral [Mar-2019 350KB]
What this little black rock can do
We have to make sure this economy works. We have to export dollars. We have to realise we have a moral responsibility to other people in other nations to keep their lights on
(Joyce, 2017)
The Steelworks and Coal Loader at Port Kembla harbour [Sep-2014 77KB]
Remarks
Moneyland luxe vibe
To buy into a world where spending symbolised freedom and autonomy
Luxury goods store entrance, George Street Sydney [Nov-2020 303KB]
Well–oiled plans
There was big money to be made in eating vast amounts of nutriment
Winter Magic Festival doughnut stall, Katoomba [Jun-2023 233KB]
Shadow state
Our top–down globalist trade liberalised system will endure forever
North from the Empire State Building [Oct-2017 590KB]
Absolutely pure Mellon
Liquidate labour, liquidate stocks, liquidate the farmers, liquidate real estate. Sell everything, take on more debt and cancel Christmas (NYTimes, 2011)
McEvoy Street pop–up retailer, Alexandria [Mar-2018 296KB]
Financial kinesiology
Despite all the underlying momentum and near–zero interest rates (until 2022), it appeared we didn’t survive the crash
Outside the Sydney branch of the Deutsche Bank in Hunter Street.
A security guard tried to prevent this photograph from being taken “due to copyright reasons”. A detailed and patient lecture on photography–rights disabused him [Jan-2012 215KB]
More people makes everyone richer
Keep doubling the population every 35 years → boosted aggregate demand → vigorous GDP growth → buoyant budget outcomes → snowballing sovereign debt → more apartment blocks & people to build them → runaway property values → windfall capital gains → wealthier property–investors → more zest, vibrancy & bustling streets → strengthened interfaith understanding & social cohesion → more toll–roads → more construction & business services → more bathhouses, nail–salons & shisha lounges → more spiritual healers & alternative–medicine practitioners → more mortgages → more prosperous banks → more stamp–duties → more negative gearing tax–benefits → more wealth–effects → more tourism & international students → more university & independent college enrolments → more group assessments → more elderly relatives to care for children → more low–paid independent contractors → more migration agents, NGOs, community–liaison officers, refugee support advocates &human–rights lawyers → more “English students” offering BBFS → more benefit–fraud arrests → more matchmakers → more arranged child–marriages → larger dowries → more subclass–482 & spousal visas → more bridging visa A’s followed by bridging visa E’s → more impassioned pleas to the Minister for Immigration → more country–of–origin holidays once asylum is granted → potentially higher rates of workforce participation → projected supply–side potential → likely productivity gains → forecast greater aggregate income → increasing sponsor kickbacks & remittances to family overseas → more money in everyone’s hip pocket
Front–yard garden gnomes in Summer Hill, Sydney [Oct-2016 581KB]
Turning transactions into relationships
Feel the love through the acquisition of merchandise
St Collins Lane shopping arcade, Melbourne [Apr-2019 227KB]
Back in the CCCP
The centralised command economy disintegrated almost immediately
Street vendors at Tverskaya St in Moscow, on the day Russia ratified Belavezha Accords to formally withdraw from the USSR [Dec-1991 344KB]
Remarks
Life in the Bunkercene
Unforeseen economic headwinds caused everyone to cocoon that little bit extra
Martin Place hoardings, Sydney [Mar-2019 298KB]
Corridors of power
Seasoned corporate officers wholeheartedly dedicated their lives to building a maze of buzzwords & clichés
Office buildings at Little Spring Street, North Sydney [Jan-2025 352KB]
This weight of calorific delights
Just a spoon full of generously–subsidised HFCS helped the processed food go down (Hyman, 2014)
Candle wax at a Kent Street wine-bar, near Wynyard [Jan-2014 329KB]
Braving the abyss
Despite challenging market conditions, and a negative return for your superannuation this year, we continue to deliver strong long–term returns. […] Significant market falls can be worrying, but staying invested remains vitally important. […] When we invest your super, our approach is focussed on the long term, to help maximise your retirement savings. But it also manages short–term risks in times like these. I want to reassure you, our members, that we remain committed to investing to help you achieve your best retirement outcomes.
Bulk email from the CEO of Aware Super, 2022-07-08
Waterrun cliff-side, RNP [Aug-2020 578KB]
Remarks
Keep doubling your money every 7–10 years
Dr Wilson said that Sydney was likely to have a $2 million median house price by 2030 and a $3 million median by 2038
(Daily Telegraph, 2018)
Hopscotch squares at the Woodcroft housing estate, in Blacktown [Dec-2012 445KB]
Living in a film–set
Months spent wandering through a terrain filled with shuttered restaurants and disoriented diners
Deserted food court, Centrepoint Sydney [Apr-2020 213KB]
The carnival is over
The market faithfully rewarded those who took a long–term view
Luna Park Hair Raiser ride, in the rain [Jan-2019 171KB]
Remarks
This is forever
To better embrace necessary change, our cities were permanently framed within a matrix of construction scaffolding
One Circular Quay construction site, Sydney [Jan-2018 312KB]
Positive growth model
A modern 24–hour economy filled with bloggers, interns and cash–in–hand hospitality workers
Lower Baldwin Street, Dunedin NZ [Nov-2017 285KB]
Rhizomatic connections
There was fresh evidence to suggest the uncapping of university places accomplished exactly what it set out to achieve (ABC News, 2024)
University of Sydney main quadrangle [Oct-2017 528KB]
Forget your past
Architectural awards counted for little when it came to prime development sites
Darling Harbour Conference Centre demolition, Sydney [Apr-2014 216KB]
Remarks
Practical streetwise living
Neo–feudalism required an amorphous layer of vagrants to ensure everyone kept in line
Pitt Street Mall food–court entrance, Sydney [Jan-2019 408KB]
Road to zero
A globalist trade liberalised market where all tastes were equal and you could only vote with your dollars
William Street beverage hoarding (since rebuilt) at Kings Cross [Oct-2012 335KB]
Ghosts of the CBD
The C–Suite resorted to upbeat–slogans, pleading, mandates and calling in political favours to get WFH employees to return to their city offices
Commuters at the new Central station northern concourse [Jul-2023 280KB]
Remarks
Jobs & Growth
Social cohesion was a luxury we could no longer afford
Wall markings behind Parramatta Road, Strathfield [Jul-2014 523KB]