The Chairman’s Lounge is a speakeasy for Australia’s ruling class, yet it is so much more than that. Possessing its membership means passing the mystical velvet rope of high social status – something Western consumer culture conditions us all to strive for. It is confirmation that you’ve made it, entitling you quite literally to breathe different air to regular people. Of course, it is a classic chimera, because if you’d really made it, you’d be at the ExecuJet terminal boarding your own Global Express. Most Chairman’s Lounge members are only there in return for spending a tremendous amount of other people’s money.