Articles by Shelby Clark

For a long time, stability was something many people barely thought about. If you stayed employed, avoided major mistakes and made reasonably sensible decisions, the system tended to reward you. Careers progressed in a fairly linear way. Property values rose over time. Superannuation ticked along quietly in the background. There were cycles, of course, but they felt familiar and manageable.

For much of the past century, the path to success in Australia seemed clear: get a job, save a deposit, buy a house, and watch your equity grow. Home ownership wasn’t just financial security. It was a rite of passage, a social marker, a moral achievement.