The John Hyde Archives
Historic archive of articles and newspaper columns written by former Australian politician John Hyde OAM.
Politics
Abuses of privilege cost MPs respect
- Is it necessary for an MP to raise the issue in Parliament?
- Is it necessary to identify the guilty party?
- Has the MP done no more than address the wrong done?
Less Haste makes for better bills
- The Parliament passes legislation too quickly.
- Most members understood or even read any bills, which are unnecessarily complex.
- Only in rare circumstances, should innovative legislation be passed in less than four months.
A Christmas Carol
- In 72, Gough Whitlam committed Labour to abolish the means test to receive welfare payments.
- It is more important for Governments to be correct than to be popular.
- Governments using welfare payments to buy votes.
A Christmas Carol Strikes Back
- The Liberal Cabinet is hobbled by an early election.
- Welfare should be for those who need it.
Where now
- Party allegiance should not be built upon hatred of one's opponents but rather allegiance to an ideal.
- Liberalism offers the Liberal Party the only hope of moral and intellectual structure.
Unknown
- Political restructuring is essential and part of the process.
- In a commercial setting, people "vote" using their dollars. It is then wrong that their votes are confiscated by limiting their choices to certain anointed candidates in a political setting.
- If Australia is unable to accept steady restructuring of our industries in accordance to market demands, then bloody restructuring becomes necessary when we become impoverished.
The opposition and the Mini Budget
- If Labour does a better job of managing the economy, then the Liberal party will be in opposition for a long time.
Thatcher's Victory
- Two myths were: 1) society has a deep-seated prejudice against women & 2) elections are won by a party that espouses the middle ground.
- People voted for hope that the economy would get better
- A democratic government can earn the respect of its people by governing for the long term.
Another Premiers' Conference
- Premiers can make a lot of political trouble for a Prime Minister especially those that are from the same party.
- The Prime Minister has become a convenient whipping boy for state politicians that complain about Federal taxes while saying that the Federal Government's stinginess is not helping with their state's expenditures.
The Long Term
- A nation whose economy stagnates will become hard to govern.
- Poor growth also compounds political problems that are associated.
Where will the ideas come from?
- Influential thinking is now done outside of universities in independent research foundations.
- Each successful foundation has gradually won the support of politicians, media and the community-at-large.
- The ideas that sustain a free society are more likely to come from organisations that do not have a vested interest.
The Budget
- A good budget speech is one that discloses various interests at the first reading.
- Liberals preach free enterprise but practice socialism.
- Families should not be taxed additionally to provide free tertiary education where a student loan would suffice.
To Doug Everingham
- Lack of agreed upon lexicon makes political debate difficult.
- An economic stagnant society is an intolerant one.
- Economic freedom is intertwined with freedom of the human spirit.
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.
The Liberal Federal Movement
- A country's future is dependent on the goals that are chosen by Politicians
- To give guarantee for future performance by a politician is like an alcoholic guaranteeing his or her sobriety.
- To govern effectively one needs a long-term strategy.
Sir John Kerr
- Vilification of Sir John Kerr is irrational as he did the best he could and should be judged with more objectivity.
Democracy & Property Rights
Individual Rights Law Politics
- Governments when they revoke property rights change the value of whatever underlying property the rights were attached to.
- The right to trade one's efforts is as important as a right to free speech and is even more relevant in everyday life.
- Many politicians don't understand the principles that they violate and the harm the arises.
Hawke On Structural Adjustment
- There's a trade-off between today's protected industries and tomorrow's living standards.
- Mr Hawke, "we need a longer-range vision".
Uncooperative Federalism
- States that want more powers should be prepared to finance themselves.
- Competition between states to offer the lowest taxes or the best services is a good thing.
The Next Deficit
- With each succeeding deficit, either interest rates or lost opportunities will be higher.
- Easier for politicians to increase government spending rather than to decrease it.
Aboriginal Land Rights
- Australian governments have granted special rights to various classes of peoples.
- The nature of lands right in the NT has caused uncertainty and the government is probably harder to deal with than Indigenous Australians.
The Problem with Big Government
- Smaller government where the people have more discretion.
- The problem with regulations is the enforcement and the more rules the less productive a society will be.
- Government doesn't know the wants of the people and the market is better place to punish any "rule-breakers"
Labour's style
Politics Industrial Relations Economics Business
- Bob Hawke ceded authority to those whom should not have authority.
- He expected big business to follow the government's lead on when and where to invest.
- His government is a corporatist consensus of government, big capital and big union.
The Grass Roots Against Deficits
- State Premiers demand increased Federal grants but called for smaller government & lower taxes
- In the US, grass roots opinion is going towards the direction of limiting the growth of government and to impose a budget balance.
Occam's Razor
Taxation Subsidies Politics Economics
- It is remarkable that socialists think that the free world's financial system to blame for third world poverty.
- There is no obligation for a liberal society to tax itself to subsidise conversation & peace movements.
Early Retirement from the Public Service
- Basic economics where subsidies create more demand.
- Abuse of provision of medical certificates for civil servants who retire on medical grounds.
Handling the Vested Interests - The Dries
- Governments that are strong enough to deal with powerful vested interests are themselves dangerous.
- Politicians are followers; people don't like those that prejudice the community interest.
- Processes ought to be as transparent as possible.
Whither the Liberals
- There are three philosophical positions: 1) The Dries (Free market advocates), 2) The Wets (Keynesian Big Govt advocates) and 3) The Uglies (preservers of status quo).
- Due to the people seeing political corruption, a demagogue may just get enough support by posing as a Dry or Wet to turn the Opposition's philosophy away from a more open, free and personally responsible position.
Peacock's Shadows
- Only when a politician is in power, can he or she stay true to an ideal.
Of Statesmanship and Architecture
- When politicians do not accept that there are constraints to their art, the state they built will be plagued by unemployment, inflation, poor economic growth, petty government tyranny and small country status overseas.
Keep the Czar far away from us.
Individual Rights Law Politics
- Liberty is freedom from the only legal organisation that is permitted to use force (The government)
New Zealand and Sri Lanka
- A democrat can, given the right circumstances, successfully implement long term economic goals.
The Sage of a Pipe Line
Fiscal Policy Taxation Politics
- Taxpayers are slugged with the cost of infrastructure projects when the government decides to build a "monument". *Q
The Ultimate Cost of Protection
Protectionism Politics Trade Economics
- Australia is paying a heavy social price for a closed economy. Only by reducing border protection is there a possibility of turning things around.
The Crunch
Industrial Relations Economics Politics
- If Bob Hawke feels that he is too weak to defy vested interests, he will sow the seeds of economic decline for everybody.
Maintaining Direction in Government
- The Liberal Party must work out what it stands for.
Of Liberals, Conservatives and Dries
- The ideas are more important than which political party wins.
On Maintaining Direction in Government
- The Liberal Party needs to be consistent in its ideas put forth.
A Mandate to Govern
- Changes which benefit the entire economy rather than just the few will only work if the vested interests understand that they tend to gain more than they lose.
The National Party and The Farmers
Politics Protectionism Trade Taxation
- Australia's trade barriers is costing Australian farmers on average $12,000 annually and is more than fuel taxes, capital gain tax and all other areas of rural complaints.
Lange's Economy
- Mr David Lange is the man who steered the New Zealand economy to eventual recovery by using free market principles.
Neither Left nor Right nor Half Way In Between
- Labels confusion and creates acrimony where none need exist.
The WA TV Licences
- The root cause of Australia's economic decline is the subtle corruption of political authority.
Transparency II
Protectionism Politics Economics
- Industry specific councils are a menace which should not be given any standing when forming public policy.
What Is Wrong with The Liberals?
- John Howard wants to remove privilege and the Liberal Party has upset some of the most powerful interests in the land. The only way is forward.
A New Political Party?
- Good political leadership is not the practice of defying public opinion but the art of changing of it.
Parliamentary Reform
- Parliamentary privilege is being abused by politicians that slander each other instead of debating the merits of each bill.
Sir Hal Colebatch
Politics Fiscal Policy Protectionism
- He stood against: 1) protectionism, 2) excessive borrowing and 3) legislation that compelled price controls.
Fools or Knaves? The Reith Lectures
- Our current politicians favour interventionism, the question is whether they are knaves or fools? *
American Morality
- The degree to which basic human rights are respected by a nation is the degree of its morality.
Fraser On Howard
- The question facing the next Prime Minister is whether they will tackle our economic crisis without deferring to vested interests.
Howard's Economic Statement
- Australia's chronic condition is how uncompetitive our industries are. The supply side of the Australian economy must become more flexible.
Party Conferences
- Due to the loss of trust in the Liberal Party, the WA Liberals can put their house in order by electing a president and a team that is not tainted by the past.
A Crisis of the Spirit
- If Australians are to accept that there must be uneven sacrifices, we must feel that we are going somewhere.
The Evatt Foundation Conference
Regulation Subsidies Politics Business Competition
- Public sector monopolies give politicians opportunities to subsidise favoured voters.
- The public benefits the most from competition not private ownership.
The Federal Budget
- The government should adopt the same rigorous prudential standards as businesses
What Is the New Right?
Politics Industrial Relations Individual Rights Taxation Fiscal Policy
- Our wishes are to reduce union power, unfair business privileges, balance the government budget, reduced public expenditure and taxes, stopping the middle class from being ripped off, restore competiveness and protection of the family.
The Premier's Plan
- The premiers seem to be incurring disastrous debts in order to buy votes.
Star Wars
- Ronald Reagan did not have the right to trade away the Strategic Defence Initiative (SDI). It is immoral to give away the ability to stop a nuclear attack in flight.
The Constitution and Human Rights
- We are all underprivileged in something and none of us in everything. *
- The most important role of any constitution should be the protection of citizens by limiting the power of the government.
The New Enlightenment
- To describe people who want less state authority as "right" is slander.
A Speech John Howard Should Make
- Most of the moral failures in Australian politics are a result of big government.
- Legislation used to buy votes creates unequal classes.
Of Bread and Circuses
- Governmental authority is not the equivalent of nationhood.
- If our government gets the fundamentals of a free and prosperous society right, circuses (symbols) will look after themselves.
Petersen et al
- Debt and inflation are now so serious they must be remedied with a strong and specific political mandate.
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.
David Heald Reports to the ACTU
- His main recommendation is that collectivists must do everything in their power to recapture the political agenda from the economic libertarians in the 'New Right' think tanks.
The Next Prime Minister
- A leader should be strong enough to make cuts to the deficit and also be strong enough to deregulate and privatise.
A Manifesto
- Today's drive towards liberty and reason has been called the New Enlightenment and sounds better than New Right.
Referendums
- In Australia, the public may wish to say no to a policy of the government without voting them out of office.
Howard III
- John Howard cannot stop reading differences from being aired nor should he try.
South Africa
- Political power is least important in a liberal free market society with a small government.
If the Liberals Should Do Badly
- If the Liberal and National Parties are defeated this time, the current in-evitable drop in living standards will cause power to be returned to them.
The Campaign Issues
Politics Regulation Industrial Relations Economics
- John Howard's policy stances are more like Margaret Thatcher than he is given credit for.
- The important issue is to increase efficiency without which Australia is sunk. Tax cuts matter but not so much as deregulation and industrial relations reform.
A Liberal Liberal Party
- Labour leadership is unashamedly elitist.
- John Howard has turned the Liberal Party from the control of people whose approach to governance is mirrors the current Labour party. Like Margaret Thatcher, he has been slandered and abused by members of his political party.
When Elephants Mate
- Corporatism (consensus of elected elites) can produce good outcomes, Singapore, Austria and Sweden are often cited as good examples of successful corporatist governments. However, only fools expect elites to remain benevolent even if they started that way. It is in the human nature to use power to guard personal status.
The Issues Today
- Labour's industrial relations policy is corporatist, Liberal's is individualist. The main issue is who will rid is to national debt.
The Rules of The Game
- Economic necessity is forcing the individual to accept change and in the long run good procedures in support of good principles should generate good outcomes.
Testing the Heroes: Liberalism Under Fire
- The importance of Menzies, Locke & Co for our current problems whether their insights and actions will enable us to think more effective about solving our current situation.
Senator Walsh
- Senator Walsh made a case that a private monopoly is superior to a public monopoly.
World Trade
- Everything in an economy relates to everything else. One industry's protection is always another's cost.
- International trade is always governed by domestic politics.
Government and The Arts
- Governments are more interested in social messages than in evaluation and revelation when it comes to funding the arts.
- Another reason why the average man who isn't interested in the arts is forced to subsidise the arts is that civil servants and politicians fancy themselves to be part of the elite.
At the Bottom of Our Troubles Is Misinformation
- Informed evaluation of issues by a free and competent press is central to democracy.
- There was no excuse for the media to not report the budget's weakness before it was pointed out by Senator Walsh.
That Political Pay Rise
- It is unclear that countries such America with expensive politicians are always the best governed.
- Centralised wage fixing will not work effectively.
The Stock Market and History
Politics Economics Monetary Policy
- The cause of the Great Depression was not the stock market collapse but the result of poor government policies. The politicians should allow the markets to adjust accordingly instead of intervening and making things worse.
Philip Ayres on Fraser
- Malcolm Fraser was a regulator when he was in office while John Howard was a deregulator.
Senator John Stone
- Public debate is essential but if Senator Stone alienates his colleagues, they can make him irrelevant and the public won't listen to him.
- If he does not want to be made irrelevant, then he must accept that no one can be a shadow minister or otherwise without making concessions to cabinet solidarity.
The Eternal Nanny
- A nanny government needs a big stick and thick skin.
- The behaviour of the nanny state benefits vested interests.
The Bicentenary
- Too many Australians deplore a lack of political leadership, we need to tell our leaders to follow the best worldwide examples and accept that we will need to modify our behaviour accordingly.
Spare Us from By-Elections
- The job of a statesman is to articulate good policies. However, politicians being elected make irresponsible promises.
Amending the Constitution
- The public has shown that given the chance, it is more liberal, fiscally responsible, less likely to pander to vested interests.
Political Corruption
- Legislators are above the law in that if they do not like a law they can amend it. However, they can never be above the principles of justice and equality.
- A state that confers privileges that it cannot legitimately justify is corrupt.
Greiner's: The First Dry Government
- Mr Greiner has shown that Dry Liberals can be elected; the question is whether he can resist the temptation of power and not favour vested interests.
The WHO Conference
- The World Health Organisation is successful only in places where they have stayed out of politics.
The National Party and Consumption Taxes
- A consumption tax would encourage saving and investment, remove some distortions caused by the sales tax and reduce tax evasion.
Criticism of Howard
- Running the country is different from running a corporation and politicians that do not make the distinction are dangerous.
- John Howard represents a policy change that certain businessmen resent.
Nanny II
- There may be nothing sinister in the Nanny state's actions, but she does not favour personal liberty, strong family ties or capitalism.
Wealth
- We should be concentrating on elevating the living standards of the poor, instead of cutting the wealthy down to size.
- A person's moral obligation to help the less fortunate is not removed by increasing taxes.
The Misfortunes of The Gulf War
- Democracy, especially in America, means that all possible technical, tactical and political errors that contributed to a tragedy will be exhaustively discussed.
The Politics of Deregulation
Regulation Politics Leadership
- Three things are needed for deregulation: 1) A convergence of elite opinion, 2) An issue must be ripe and 3) some leadership is needed.
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.
Values
- People must be responsible for the consequences of their actions. When the government intervenes, there is a cost and should therefore be limited.
A Tale of Two Nations
- The message for Australia and Fiji is that we have a choice between raising our gross national product or lower our standards of living.
- It is either deregulate or decay.
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 Coalition II
- When the current political tensions are reduced, can compromises be made between Wet and Dry politicians? If not, there will be no loss.
One Australia
Politics Individual Rights Law
- The state cannot give us complete legal equality. We also will not agree with the privileges afford to the different classes of Australians.
- However, if Mr John Howard can get rid of unreasonable privileges, it will have the result of making the most of us equal legally.
Public Sector Accountability
- The WA government should not have initiated public sector activity which displays the usual inefficiency.
- The real problem is that that when Western Australian politicians introduce government into commerce, they often abuse the trust that is placed upon them.
The Family Conference
- Welfare has freed both men and women from responsibilities.
- A stable and prosperous society depends on stable monogamous families.
A Heartbeat from The Prime Ministership
- Without leadership, Australians will probably not stumble out of our well-established round of slow growth, poor investment and current account deficits.
- A vengeful man should not be entrusted with the power of the Prime Minister.
On Re-reading 'The Road to Serfdom'
- The evil to be most feared is the power to force people into conformity. Concentration of power is dangerous.
- The role of parliament is to check the power of government.
Future Directions
- The 'Future Directions' statement implies an overdue recognition that ideas have inspirational authority and is an alternative to messianic leadership which the Liberals do not have.
In Search of Better MPs
- Politicians have been promoted to their level of incompetence and the only way to cure that is they are only allowed to create general conditions for the people to better themselves.
Tariffs: The Beam in Our Eyes
- Even though tariffs lower living standards, politicians use them to win over some voters.
What's Political Important In 1989?
- Political corruption, foreign debt and declining living standards are the big issues in 1989.
Dowding Goes to The Polls
- The Burke government entered into joint ventures with WA's wealthiest citizens and so damaged the financial and legal integrity of the WA state.
Dries Must Resist Giving Up Struggle as Going Gets Rough
- Society is a feedback machines in that, any misfortune creates behavioural changes and the trick is to change patterns of behaviour before misfortunes become too awful.
Say Not the Struggle Naught Availeth
- As Dry policies are being implemented, any lags between implementation and consequences must be explained as must any mistakes or unrelated causes.
Lessons From WA
- Labour has been given the message that unaccountability method of governance is unacceptable. Two other issues were interest rates and competence of our political leaders.
Giving Authority Back to Parliament
- For government accountability to be present, all political parties must honour the Westminster tradition and there must be an independent press.
What Has Happened to Political Leadership?
- Political leadership is about making the connections and explaining the trade-offs.
The Lamb Marketing Corporation
- The average producer is unaware that they are being duped and politicians have no interest in informing them.
Policing the Media
- The limitations that government places on the media outlets are unnecessary.
- One wonders if the government would like the media to feel obligated to them.
Chile
- Chile to become an economic success story. Reform included reducing tariffs to a flat 15% and substantially deregulating labour market.
Not So New Federalism
- The Australian economy will not recover until the people who make the economic decisions face the consequences of their own decisions.
David Kemp
- Professor Kemp is hopeful that authority is now seen to have limitations and liberal ideas flowing from government groups.
The Winding Up of WA Inc
- The activities of WA Inc are wrong because they benefit private interests at the expense of the public.
Of Wages and Wheat
Industrial Relations Regulation Politics
- The Liberals must establish the few important principles now. Continual deregulation is one of them.
The Politics of Hope
- It is now the time to again make the case for social reform in terms of opportunities instead of costs.
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.
Macphee
- Since 1974, both the Labour and Liberal parties have adopted freer market policies, but Mr Macphee has not changed his positions.
Of Honour and Politics
- Friction is in the nature of politics, there is a need to conduct the party's affairs well.
The Dropping of The Pilot
- John Howard's greatest achievement was to develop a party that would not be in bed with special interests.
Howard III: Return of The Drover's Dog
- Is question facing Australians is that how will we regain access to John Howard's talents?
What Are EFIC And the Wheat Board Up To?
- When a statutory authority is created that does not act in the public interest, it becomes almost impossible to dismiss the organisation.
Applying the Fitzgerald Principles
- The Fitzgerald report recommended that systematic corruption is set in place conditions that will prevent future corruption.
Parliament Is Not A Waste of Time?
- As long as parliament continues to rubber stamp cabinet and caucus decisions, there will not be rational debate.
Greenhouse and All That
- Before we give governments that power to do damage to the world economy, we need to be reasonable sure that there is a crisis in the world ecosystem and that any action proposed as net benefits.
Of Ethics and The Economy
- In this current climate, our government places electoral interests ahead of policies that will benefit society overall.
The Pilots and The Libs IR Policy
- The whole point of the Liberal policy was the salary of pilots should be market driven but the leader of the Liberal party missed the opportunity to educate the Australian people on the least painful way to bring the current account into balance.
WorkCare And the RSI Epidemic
- Any illness, where the treatment is free or subsidised, tends to record a higher level of occurrence.
Principle of Limits
- Politicians that do not accept limits to their power, tend to be corrupted as they turn public authority to benefit themselves.
- Power tripping has done immense damage to our economy and to the standing of our political institutions.
The Liberal's Tax and Spending Policy
Taxation Fiscal Policy Politics
- The overall thrust of the policy is pro-employment but falls well short of solutions for the problems outlined. Nevertheless, it is a step in the right direction.
Political Corruption
- If there had been proper parliamentary disclosure, there would not have been case of political corruption such as WA Inc.
Victory Without Blood
- With the collapse of communism, millions of people gained a measure of freedom without bloodshed.
Roger Douglas' Way
- Mr Roger Douglas, the New Zealand Finance Minister has implemented radical market reforms to make a prosperous New Zealand a distinct possibility.
Roger Douglas II
- To fix the economy, our political leaders may look to New Zealand's former Finance Minister who has led market reforms to their economy.
Wheat Market Deregulation
- Wheat market reform was due to the persistence and courage of a Labour Party Minister, Mr John Kerin.
The Dries 10 Years On
- Most dries hoped that difficult questions went away so that they stopped costing the Liberal Party votes.
The Good Fight
- Austin Stewart Holmes was one of Australia's finest civil servants and a true servant to democracy.
- Mr Holmes was an honest true servant to democracy.
Competitive Federalism
- The public suffers a bigger government than it would had the States be willing to raise their own tax revenue as the Federal government is able to raise more taxes than the individual States.
Shack
- Peter Shack was the fall guy for the Liberal Party leadership and in his dealings with the Liberal Party was honourable.
The Tortoise and The Hare
- The fundamental fact of democratic politics is that any support for change must be generated by the leadership explaining the changes to the people.
Carmen Gets Supply
- For Dr Carmen Lawrence, the new premier to restore trust she has to:
- Ensure that her party members understand the real nature of past indiscretions.
- Publicise an accurate accounting of the current state of affairs.
- Restore the professionalism of the civil service and be frank with parliament.
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.
Dick Klugman
- Dick Klugman, a Labour MP is retiring this election, he has been a voice of sanity and his greatest success according to him has been influencing his colleagues to look more critically at commonly accepted propositions.
The Small Business Lobby
- The corporatist style of government has failed, and the best thing of small business owners is to have a level playing field.
For Whom Do We Vote?
- While it is unfortunate that our votes cannot change the balance of power within the political parties but that does not absolve us from choosing wisely.
The Dreadful Campaign
- It is ironic that some communist countries are enthusiastically embracing democracy while we are making of a mess of it.
Where Do the Liberals Go from Here?
- The underlying issue in the Liberal Party is that it's members do not believe in anything.
What Was the Green Vote Worth to Labour?
- It is unlikely that the Greens gave the victory to the Labour Party, we need to wait for the party professionals to report.
Protection: The Politics of Privilege
- The essence of a Banana Republic is privilege and poverty is the symptom of that disease.
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.
By the Year 2000
- The most significant changes will be our own attitudes and the sort of society we have in the 2000s will be of our own making.
The Governor General's Speech and The OECD Report
- The Governor General's speech committed the government to economic reform but did not give the impression that the Government had policies to deal with urgent issues.
Responsible Government
- Ministers ought to be removed for breaking policy, lying to Parliament and if they fail in area of competence.
Tiananmen Square
- Democracy is not concerned about political succession compared to totalitarianism. As a nation's citizen become wealthier, they tend to demand democracy.
Wool Yet Again
- The people responsible for raising the floor price are now blaming everyone else but themselves for the injury done to the woolgrowers.
Supply
- Parliament's most vital task is the election of the principle minister and to withhold or grant the supply of government funds.
The Defeat of Political Power
- The more we embrace the trend towards openness, the more we become free from constrains by the government.
Ad Hominem Attack and Politics
- Ad Hominem politics has it place, we should seek to establish that place and have rules that will keep it within the bounds of decency.
The Underclass
- It is necessary to distinguish between the battlers and those that do not want to work hard and change their environment.
Strong Government
- We should not slavishly follow any other country, but we can learn from some. The legal and moral restrains that support a free-market economy should be reformed to make them better.
Donald Trump Must Be an Australian*
- One possible consequence of current corporate troubles is new laws that constrains the honest, enables the dishonest and raises inefficiencies. Donald Trump might consider emigrating to Australia.
The Liberals Show Some Guts
- One test of an Opposition party's relevance is the degree to which the Government adopts its policies.
Privatisation
- As New Zealand and New South Wales have shown, it is possible to make enormous public section efficiency gains by rigorous accounting and management practices and by allowing private firms to compete with the public sector.
Oh! Where Have All the Industries Gone?
- The lesson is blatantly obvious. Businesses and skilled labour are mobile and are increasingly becoming more so. Governments that do not offer a commercial environment that are attractive as any other state stands to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs.
Modest Members
- Ideas are not caught, they are given. Political Ideas can have powerful consequences and a club-like activity is one effective means of propagating ideas.
SGIC
- Civil authority relies on trust and the true cost to WA society is the potential damage to legislative authority.
Privilege
- The attacks on liberal policy are dishonest; those that are unable to discredit the ideas often obfuscate and misrepresent the ideas and confusing even Liberal Party members themselves.
The New-Right Think-Tank
- Think-tanks are able to advocate for policies which politicians cannot. Think-tanks exist because of a weakness inherent in politics.
The Green's Vote
- The Coalition lost the chance to win the votes of ordinary sensible environmentalists, it could have announced the best possible combination of environmentalism and jobs.
How Did We Get into This Mess?
- Voters defend privileges. The only way to prevent a slide into to Banana Republicanism is for voters to recognise that it is improper to have privileges.
Interest Rates
Interest Rates Politics Monetary Policy
- It is impossible for the control the supply and price of money, by trying to control the price, the government lost control of the quantity.
- Paul Keating has been a stricter adherent of monetary policy than Malcolm Fraser.
Getting to The Centenary
- Both side of politics are responsible for industry protectionism. Instead of facing reality, Australians are taking economically unsound popular policies seriously.
Tripartitism Examined
- Tripartitism is used to describe arrangements between government, trade unions and employer councils. Tripartitism uses committees as an alternative to deregulation and privatisation.
What We Should Expect of The New Government?
- There is a rough consensus about what needs to be done to restore dynamism to the economy, what is lacking is the political will.
The NFF
- The National Farmers Federation (NFF) has made intellectual integrity a source of political power and has done much to improve the trading environment for Australia's exports.
Technology in Government Committee
- Appropriate technology is technology that produces at the least cost to the common environment. Technology should to produce a more productive and profitable Australia.
Social Trends
- The tendencies of our social environment should have the same amount of attention as our physical environment.
Waste in NSW
- The NSW government run on the platform of deregulation and privatisation.
- Micro-economic reform is eliminating waste and failure and is always opposed by people who lose their benefits and seldom praised enough by those who gain from the new efficiencies.
Local Government
- There is a strong case for giving local government more authority at the expense of the State government. It would be easier to move between local government districts than between States.
Greenhouse
- There has not been enough evidence that justifies public policies with huge economic costs.
How They Will Govern
- There is a trend of deregulation and privatisation where the skills of a producer are rewarded over that of a lobbyist. This is Australia's only hope.
The Environment
Environment Law Regulation Politics
- Governments thinking of using regulations to protect the environment should take into account any externalities them proceed with caution and having respect for the rule-of-law and democracy.
Democratic Imperatives
- Free enterprise values will only adopted by Australian politics if the public wants the values implemented.
Hayden's Pearls
Politics Fiscal Policy Monetary Policy
- Lax fiscal policies lead to tough monetary policies. There should be a balance between sufficient profit and employment. OECD countries need to exercise caution in subsiding trade and trade credits with Eastern European countries.
A Basic Right to Work
Industrial Relations Politics Individual Rights
- Trade Unionists, Industrial Judges and Politicians are being unfair to our weakest citizens by denying them their basic human right to sell their own labour.
Budget Headaches - Burke and Hawke
Budget Industrial Relations Politics
- The best thing that can be done for the unemployed due to the recession is to reduce the wages of those that are closest to unemployment.
OECD Approach to Unemployment
Industrial Relations Business Politics
- Unemployment levels are kept artificially higher than which an employer can hire a potential employee.
17% Holiday Loading
- Abolition of holiday loading could have been the greatest job creation scheme of it was not set aside due to misguided notions of equity.
Who Is the Most Socialist?
- The ranking correlates with capital payments to the States by the Federal Government. The States have spent the payments increasing the size of state governments instead of compensating the private sector.
A Lesson from Argentina
- Australia and Argentina are similar in many ways. We have not made major mistakes in handling our economy but have been careless about long term growth.
- If we mismanage our economy, we will not be able to escape problems similar to what Argentina faced.
The Politics of Hatred
- We need more good-natured reasoned disagreements from our public figures. Disagreements should be made with civil discourse.
A Quiet Revolution
- The fastest way to a freer society in Australia is through the many little things done by the State and Local government, when the people have a taste of freedom, they will demand more.
The Legislative Council
- The traditional role of parliament is the protection of the citizen from the government and seems to be often forgotten in these days of disciplined party politics.
Sex Discrimination Legislation
- Senator Susan Ryan's Sex Discrimination Bill makes the fundamental error of not distinguishing between free choice and prejudice.
- Employees will be more reluctant to employ women if they fear a third party such as the Human Right Commission stepping into a private employment arrangement.
Greenies, Peaceniks and All That
- We should never attempt to silence views that are different from ours. A liberal society however, is under no obligation to tax itself to subsidise peace and conservation movements.
John Stone and All That
- John Stone's Lecture, 1929 and All That outlined his outrage against effects of vested interests and protectionism on Australia.
The Election Result
Politics Budget Taxation Economics Fiscal Policy
- The election campaign extracted three promises from Bob Hawke: 1) no tax increases, 2) no increase in government expenditure without economic growth and 3) reduction in the budget deficit.
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.
Who Will Govern Us?
Politics Philosophy Regulation
- Why concentrated vested interests will prevail over general interests is due to public choice theory. However, Australia is moving towards a liberal direction and it will depend on how fast we can liberalise our economy compared to other countries.
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.