There is a lot of talk recently about RBA's new great idea of replacing the mining boom with a construction boom. It is quite possible that could work, and we continue growth by shifting ex-mining investments into housing construction. This is not new idea. It was very "successfully" implemented in quite a few places around the world recently. Irish and US governments successfully replaced IT boom of late 90s with period of steady growth driven by construction boom. Chinese government partially did the same thing after their export boom ended. Historically, it seems it's quite easy to succeed with this plan.
BUT, there is one much more important question that nobody seems to be asking in Australia: even if the great idea of construction boom replacing mining succeeds, what will replace construction boom at its end in three or five years?
If everything goes as planed, in just 5 years we will have million more homes - half of them empty (around half a million more new homes than new households), we will have around half a trillion more debt (half a trillion less invested in productive business and infrastructure) Maybe we can continue doing the same for 5 more years after. By than we should have million more empty homes and trillion more in debt.
BUT, what will happen after we take more debt and misallocate it into more empty houses? What is the great idea promises us after?
I'm scare even to think about this.
I hope our government's great ideas fails quickly. I hope for that not because I think we will be fine if it fails (we will not), but because I'm sure in 5 years we will be much better than if they succeed. For majority of Australians (especially our kids) going into few years long recession in 2013 is much better option than going into decade long deep depression in 2018.
I hope, we learned something from other's mistakes.
