The John Hyde Archives
Historic archive of articles and newspaper columns written by former Australian politician John Hyde OAM.
Sunday Independent
The Sunday Independent (also known as The Independent) was a Perth, Western Australia based weekly newspaper owned by mining entrepreneurs Lang Hancock and Peter Wright. It was published between 1969 and 1986. John had a weekly column in the Sunday Independent, writing about current economic and political issues. This section contains 42 articles published between May 22nd 1983 and 31st December 1984.
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.
Hi - Tech Industries
- Subsidising some industries at the expense of other isn't ideal but is better than standing in the way of new technology.
Tax, Slender and Privilege
- Tax avoidance is inequitable other than intended by parliament but isn't illegal. Politicians who use parliamentary privilege to slander the character of those who practice tax avoidance are cowardly.
Interest Rates
Interest Rates Monetary Policy
- Any attempt to regulate interest rates down, would be a recessive transfer of wealth from the low-income people to the middle income.
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.
Floating the Dollar
- By floating the Australian dollar, Both Paul Keating and John Howard supported this move as it places Australia in a winning position.
Their Own Worst Enemies
- Private ownership is where the citizen gains protection from the state and it not only an economic question but also moral and ethical questions. It should not get into bed with government.
The Incomes Accord
- The Labour Party's policies have caused an inflexible labour market and have prevented workers from negotiating a job. This has caused a drop-in employment for a long time to come.
Football
Industrial Relations Subsidies
- The defence of subsidising the rich is everybody get their share and therefore the process is fare. It is both futile and unfair.
Wheat Marketing
- Our wheat handling and marketing system does not allow for diversity and hides the true cost of wheat production.
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.
The ACER Findings
- Comparing present practices in private and public schools is the best way to inform parents on the effectiveness of sending their children to the school of their choice.
Entrepreneurs
Economics Protectionism Business
- The switching of commercial to political entrepreneurship, established interests have encourage governments to protect their interests as well as causing the economies to stagnate.
The Lamb Board
- The Lamb Board prefers its own interest to that of the farmers. In fact, since 1980, the board has prejudiced both growers and consumers.
Sources of Inflation
- When one sector has the capacity to expand its prices faster than an average determined by money supply, the other sectors are squeezed.
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.
Taxation
- Income tax law reflects government extravagance and years of successful lobbying by vested interests. If the Labour government were serious about tax avoidance, it would start by cleaning up the income tax act which favours the more powerful vested interests and best organised voters.
Exporters Pay for Tariffs
- Protectionism is the act of taking money from one party to pay another and rarely punishes foreign competition and punishes any local party involves in the export sector.
The X-Rating and Victimless Crimes
- The most illogical reason for banning X-rated videotapes that is it presumed that the actors are being exploited. To treat women as though they could not give consent is the ultimate sexual discrimination.
Coastal Shipping
- Costal shipping has been protected for longer than any other major Australian industry but has never been the subject of an inquiry. As a result, costal shipping is affecting industries that have to ship locally.
Civil Service Retirement
- To control costs, the government will be forced to increase wait times for medical treatment. The best treatment will either be for those that can pay for it or those that can pull strings.
The Argyle Diamond Float
- The government did not make a profit when it sold its shares in the Argyle Diamond venture. The taxpayers were the ones that subsidised the purchase of shares and enabled tax avoidance by guaranteeing investors a fixed return.
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.
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.
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.
Grain Handling
- Australian wheat farmers used to be among the world's efficient. However, through establishing collective arrangements market and control the wheat market, it has ensured that foreign growers having an advantage over them.
Youth Employment
Industrial Relations Competition
- By preventing youths from competing with adults through laws that deny them gain experience that will assist them in future.
The State Budget
- When government use taxpayers' money, they get future generations of taxpayers into debt and they seldom use the monies as efficiently as the private sector. The government's issue is that it seldom a lack of specialist knowledge and a disregard for the public's opinion.
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.
Australian And United States Deficit
Budget Economics Fiscal Policy
- Both the US and Australia have penalised investing by spending consuming more and will cause a reduction in productivity and hamper long-term economic growth.
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.
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.