The John Hyde Archives
Historic archive of articles and newspaper columns written by former Australian politician John Hyde OAM.
Regulation
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.
Australia Writ Small
Protectionism Trade Regulation
- Both Australia and New Zealand have high import barriers.
- Min price arrangements and export incentives are poor means of re-allocation of the nation's (New Zealand) resources.
- Both nations have adequate natural advantages that are blunted by government intervention.
Airline Deregulation (11/11/83)
- Deregulation has enabled sharp reductions in the level of subsidies.
- The airline industry is no worse off while the consumer and taxpayer is better off.
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.
Entrepreneurs
Economics Regulation Cronyism Business
- Entrepreneurs are first forwards looking decision makers, but often become crony business managers once estabilished.
Greiner's Small Business Policy
Regulation Industrial Relations
- The policy allows for an individual to negotiate employment conditions above the minimum requirements.
- Allows for the NSW industry to gain a competitive edge over other states and foreign imports.
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"
Of Bread and Eggs
- Regulation governing the production of eggs & bread in QLD is destroying the profitability of both products.
Of Paddington Bear and Medicare
- Regulation as a means of control
- Uneven enforcement
- Confusing legislation, that is, it is hard to adhere to the regulations.
Colour TV
- Import quotas for Colour TVs; prices should be allowed to signal the levels of supply and demand
- Quantitative restrictions (QR) are licences to print money
Grain Handling
Protectionism Trade Regulation
- Wheat board (Trade barriers).
- Farmer are unable to price differentiate between higher quality of wheel produced (price takers not setters).
- Cost of over regulation where both some producers and consumers are the biggest losers.
Health Care 3: Medicare
Monopoly Regulation Competition
- Medical fraud by doctors in a statutory monopoly
- Firing a doctor removes his/her service from the community
- The best is no Medicare; the market decides
- * But what about a naturally formed cartel?
Victorian Milk Price Arbitration 1
- Regulations place Victorian Milk Farmers in the worst competitive position in Australia.
Milk Price Arbitration 2
- If the Victorian Dairy Farmers do not deregulate fast enough, they will face competition from Dairy Farmers from other states.
New Zealand and Sri Lanka
- A democrat can, given the right circumstances, successfully implement long term economic goals.
The Accord, Labour Market Regulation
Regulation Industrial Relations Individual Rights
- Only soft approaches that are based in individual liberty will work for labour deregulation.
Occupational Regulation **
- A licence does not inform a buyer about who is the best service provider. The effect is to stop competition.
The WA TV Licences
- The root cause of Australia's economic decline is the subtle corruption of political authority.
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.
Privatisation
- The main purpose of privatisation is increased productivity not obtaining the highest selling price for the underlying asset.
John Burton
- Relative economic decline should be reversed by deregulation and privatisation.
Housing Interest Rates
Regulation Monetary Policy Interest Rates
- Regulated interest rates cause those that are unable to obtain regulated money to resort to hire purchase and second mortgages. They also distort housing supply.
Fools or Knaves? The Reith Lectures
- Our current politicians favour interventionism, the question is whether they are knaves or fools? *
EPAC And Gruen On Trade
Protectionism Regulation Business
- Professor Gruen says that selling below full cost in not regarded as an unfair trading practices within Australia. It smacks of double standards when it is labelled as unfair when done by foreigners.
Cheer Up Things Are Getting Worse
Industrial Relations Regulation
- Deregulation will force unionist to bear the consequences of their own actions.
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.
Not Published, Doing Business with Too Much Government
- The primary cause of our economic troubles is our government.
- Every privilege is someone's cost.
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.
The Rocky Horror Show
- The deficit should be reduced by cutting government expenditure instead of raising taxes.
- The proven way to economic success is through deregulation.
Not Lazy (Published in the Weekend Australian as Monopolies corner the market in frustration)
Protectionism Monopoly Regulation Business
- Australians are more often frustrated with government regulations than lazy.
- Monopolies are the reason for Australia's lost competiveness than laziness.
Transport and the Economy
- Transport modes and service should compete on equal terms. The subsidies favouring LPG over petrol should be eliminated.
- Competition between wharves, grain, sugar, container terminals and other port facilities could be greatly enhanced through implementing the Liner Shipping Report
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.
Airline Deregulation
Regulation Industrial Relations
- The less the airlines are protected from consumer choice, the less that it will pay for employees to go on strike.
Philip Ayres on Fraser
- Malcolm Fraser was a regulator when he was in office while John Howard was a deregulator.
Private Correspondence
- By deregulating our economy, we will be able to pay our public debts.
A Deregulation LED Recovery
- Deregulating will do more for the economy than getting the people to reduce their living standards.
The Perils of Regulation
- Socialists must decide between their abhorrence of the markets and helping the poor. Only when wealth is created, that it can then be diverted to assist the under-privileged can be help.
The Liberals IR Policy
Industrial Relations Monopoly Competition Regulation
- To protect the public from monopolies, the best alternative is to allow competition. Any reduction will reduce the pain of getting our economic house in order.
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.
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.
Reforming Education
Education Regulation Competition Individual Rights
- The best option to education is to deregulate it and to allow the people the freedom to make their choices wisely.
A Significant Blessing
- The most important policy implemented by the Federal Cabinet has been the deregulation of financial markets.
Chile
- Chile to become an economic success story. Reform included reducing tariffs to a flat 15% and substantially deregulating labour market.
Of Wages and Wheat
Industrial Relations Regulation Politics
- The Liberals must establish the few important principles now. Continual deregulation is one of them.
Foreign Debt Does Matter
- Foreign debt servicing can only be possible through deregulations, only then can investments flow into Australia and the level of foreign debt reduced.
Wheat Market Deregulation
- Wheat market reform was due to the persistence and courage of a Labour Party Minister, Mr John Kerin.
Wool Stocks
- Minimum prices reduce the volume consumed; a more radical reform will be the abolishment of the wool reserve price.
The Greens Crying Wolf
- Even with land degradation being a serious issue, most cases can be avoided by individuals managing their own affairs in an orderly manner. We do not need a totalitarian organisation telling farmers what to do with their land.
What Do We Want from Privatisation?
Protectionism Regulation Subsidies Business
- The reason why Government privatise public companies is to make them more efficient. The reason why they don't is that they fear the wrath of employees and the subsidised consumers.
Re-regulating The Banks
- The market should help investors distinguish between high-risk investments masquerading as low-risk investments, however, regulations and public ownership is not the answer.
A Voice from The Wilderness
- The failure to understand opportunity cost has resulted in needlessly expensive environmental protection.
- It is not possible to regulate demand and when bureaucrats fail to control human behaviour, they blame economists for the mess.
Housing
Regulation Property Rights Economics
- Legislation that reduces a landlord's right to raise rent or to evict tenants reduce supply and drives up rents anyway. Paul Keating deregulates the cost of home purchases while the Minster for Housing regulates rents. It will not work.
Why Privatise
- Only when public companies are sold that taxes are paid in meaningful amounts.
Wheat Market Deregulation
- Deregulating the wheat market has brought many benefits such as the freedom for the producer to set prices and cheaper prices and better products for consumers.
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.
The Davis Report
Protectionism Regulation Taxation
- Statutory Marketing Authorities (SMA) has the power to tax producers. If the minister intends to regulate the market to make it efficient and just, individuals must be able to opt out of SMAs and SMAs also be subject to the Trade Practices Act.
Australia Fritters Away Its Wealth
Regulation Industrial Relations
- Deregulators have had the most success in the financial markets due to the former treasurer's championing financial deregulation and neither the banks nor the bank employees union opposing deregulation.
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.
Nanny's Security Blanket
- The government uses our taxes to "educate" us with the government subsidising certain groups to tax payers for their mistake and imposing their will on what we can and cannot do.
Axing the Quangos
- Every regulation develops vested interests who defend it against any attempts to eliminate or reduce it. For example, if the state government were to deregulate the taxi industry, consumers would benefit from cheaper and more convenient travel.
Of Paddington Bear and Medicare
- By using the law without any overview to punish doctors for procedural errors that are hard to get correct, it causes the principle of certainty before the law.
MITI
- The lesson from the Japanese Ministry of International Trade and Development (MITI) is that where government interference is the least, the industries have done the best.
MIM Annual Report
Business Competition Regulation Taxation
- The mining industry is loaded with infrastructure costs which are not asked of other competing sectors of the Australian economy. In order for MIM share price to increase, there will be a need to reduce high levels of industry protection and reducing state taxes.
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.