The John Hyde Archives
Historic archive of articles and newspaper columns written by former Australian politician John Hyde OAM.
Cronyism
High price of nappies built into BHP costs
- The Australian Government should not insulate the management of BHP from the wrath of the shareholders for making bad decisions lest they do not learn their lesson.
- There is a need to understand the true relationship between unemployment to the tariff.
Ord River sugar sage leaves a sour taste
- WA consumers subsidise the price of sugar for growers in QLD & NSW.
- The cost of establishing a sugar industry is high and there is no reason why foreign capital be used instead of taxpayer dollars.
Labels - an easy way to discredit but they count
- A more relevant classification of politics should be whether you believe that choice should be exercised by individuals or to be exercised on their behalf.
- Vested interests are only wrong when governments pander to them.
BHP
- The bigger a company becomes with government intervention, the more damage to an economy it can do.
- BHP is seeking a preference over smaller businesses when it comes to subsidies.
Peacock's Deakin Lecture
- Without political leadership, vested interests will control the Liberal party.
- The Deakin lecture lacks credibility as it did not confront the tough choices present.
Westpac to the Martin Committee
Cronyism Regulation Competition
- Westpac is caught between asking for continuation of protection from competition but is fearful that the same protection is extended to others.
- Labour ought to favour deregulation such as interest rates control as it makes the market more efficient.
Statutory Marketing Authorities
- The question most asked is whether statutory marketing authorities are adequately accountable to the various state governments, but the more important question is whether they are competent to market rural Australian produce.
- Only competition will make marketing authorities efficient.
Large Colour TV Sets
Protectionism Competition Cronyism
- The Australian TV production industry taxes buyers and have developed into an uncompetitive assembler of foreign produced parts.
Entrepreneurs
Economics Regulation Cronyism Business
- Entrepreneurs are first forwards looking decision makers, but often become crony business managers once estabilished.
Advertising
- Tax funded advertising is the usage of taxes to subsidies one set of ideas against another.
- John doesn't believe that the public supports making judgements on standards such as tobacco and alcohol advertising and homosexuality.
- The Government's responsibility is to increase competition for claims about products and ideas.
Farm Costs
Protectionism Taxation Cronyism
- The National Farmers Federation (NFF) wants to the government to have relief for its members but it must be prepared to get the heavily protected dairy, tobacco and sugar industry off the backs of the taxpayers.
Taxis
Protectionism Regulation Cronyism
- Taxi deregulation is the same as any other product or service regulation. There will be winners and losers, but everyone should benefit in the long term.
Commerce and Government Don't Mix
Business Politics Regulation Cronyism
- Government operates differently in that only it can legally force people to do it's bidding.
- Market imperfections are most often caused by government interference on behalf of vested interests.
Of Fiduciary Responsibility
- The state bails out those that are in financial difficulties and are close to the government.
- Governmental authority should not be used to dole out favours for a selected few but for the public interest.
The Eternal Nanny
- A nanny government needs a big stick and thick skin.
- The behaviour of the nanny state benefits vested interests.
Wheat Marketing: A Case Study of Monopoly
Protectionism Cronyism Monopoly
- Monopolists argue that increasing size will allow for economies of scale but without competition that is no onus to pass on the benefits.
- Wheat growers that keep silent about their lack of choice allow their impoverishment.
The Motor Car Decision
Taxation Protectionism Cronyism
- The purpose of any protection is to allow goods to be sold at a higher price and has the same purpose as a consumption tax.
- The protectionism affects other industries as it makes them less competitive due to the other industries subsidising the particular industry.
Player or Ring Keeper?
- When private players enlist the government in intervening in the economy, the "ring-bearer" may become corrupt.
Time the Nats Delivered
Politics Protectionism Cronyism
- If the National Dries do not disown any plans to strengthen the Australian Wheat Board's control over the domestic market, the voter may not have much choice except to vote for the Labour party.
Consumerism
- Organisations that should be advocating for more choices for consumers, use public money to pursue an agenda that is opposite of consumer choice.
The Coalition
Regulation Monopoly Cronyism Politics
- It is in the national interest to avoid all unnatural monopolies.
- If the National Party does not want a free wheat market, who will believe them when they call for deregulation.
The Winding Up of WA Inc
- The activities of WA Inc are wrong because they benefit private interests at the expense of the public.
Citizen-Initiated Referendums v Corruption
Politics Cronyism Protectionism
- If effective sovereignty were returned to the people, politicians would no longer be protecting vested interests.
The Potential Cost of PICL
- The greatest danger for the Western Australian citizen is that Petrochemical Industries Company Limited (PICL) is that the state government purchasing a large amount of PICL shares and any inefficiencies in the way that the company is run is then covered up by subsidies.
Political Corruption
- If there had been proper parliamentary disclosure, there would not have been case of political corruption such as WA Inc.
The Worst Possible Election Result
- The general thrust of the Democrats policy is extremely irresponsible. Anyone considering voting for the democrats should study their policies, which pander to vested interests.
The WA Auditor General
- There needs to be an extra-parliamentary inquiry so that the real lessons of WA Inc will be taught to future administrators so that future governments will know how to conduct themselves.
After WA Inc.
- WA Inc affected Western Australia in four ways: It cost a lot of money; it set in place a lot of structures and practices; it seriously injured the public service; it cost our good reputation in important places such London, Tokyo and New York. The most basic error was ethical in nature, our political and business leaders had a problem recognising that the circumstance and actions were not truthful and fair to all parties.
About
John Hyde OAM is a former Australian politician. He was elected as the member for the Division of Moore in Western Australia for the Liberal Party.
John Hyde OAM is the author of Dry: In Defence of Economic Freedom.