The John Hyde Archives
Historic archive of articles and newspaper columns written by former Australian politician John Hyde OAM.
Trade
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.
Labour's stand on sales tax should be queried
- A Tariff tax falls most heavily on necessities of life versus a sales tax which falls most heavily on luxury goods.
Facing up to structural change
- The Australian government cannot do much to prevent the world trade patterns from changing.
- Various interests need to be more balanced in a fair manner.
Unknown
- Defensive protectionist policies make things worse.
- Australian trade is much more restrained compared to similar sized economies.
- Nations which have unilaterally reduced their trade barriers have achieved higher rates of economic growth.
The NFF and the Balderstone Report
Protectionism Industrial Relations Regulations Trade
- The report states that Australia's comparatively efficient agriculture is burdened with unnecessary regulation.
- It is in Australia's interest that the agricultural industry propers while remaining efficient.
- Australian agriculture suffers a considerable burden placed upon it by protected industries and trade unions and is under the mercy of international prices.
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.
Closer Economic Relations
- To prevent trade is to penalise both buyers and sellers.
- The Closer Economic Relations (CER) with New Zealand will benefit Australia more as New Zealand has to adjust its trade barriers as compared to Australia.
A great trading nation
- Countries with small economies must trade with foreigners while citizens of large economies have a range of specialist skills that enable them to trade with each other.
- Australia's trade is getting worse over the years.
Trade Policy Transparency
- Tariffs cause job losses and is a tax which few citizens are aware of due to lack of experiences in price comparisons.
Dumping
- Goods are said to be dumped when they are imported and sold in Australia below current price levels.
- Predatory dumping should not be confused with price discrimination.
Statutory Marketing Authorities
- An industry that depends on world markets cannot avoid change. By delaying just long enough, many who have neither learnt to swim or moved to a higher ground will drown.
Exporters Pay for Tariffs
- Tariffs raise prices in the import competing industries over and above the extent that the wages rise for the rest of the economy.
- Protectionism impoverishes exporters rather than penalising foreign competitors.
Coastal Shipping
- Protection of the Shipping & Steel Industries have knock on effects on other industries.
- A government decision to protect an industry destroys another/others.
John Stone and all that
- Review of John Stone's lecture.
- Weakening of Australia to face the world market.
- Government gains monopoly of information.
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.
The MIN Report
- Exporters have difficulties of low international prices and high Australian costs.
- The source of the troubles is bad government instead of bad markets.
- Mining companies are being loaded with infrastructural costs which are not asked of other competing sectors of the economy.
Foreign Investment
- When Governments meddle with commerce, it is to grant an unequal privilege over established vested interests.
Asian Shipping
- Australia's shipping industry is to be handmaiden to trade and the industry's over-tonnage will burden either the ship owners or shippers.
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 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.
Industrial Relations in The Pilbara
- Foreign buyers only care about the price of iron ore. It is hard to understand why employee insist on practices that reduce productivity.
Textiles, Clothing & Footwear (not in print)
- Workers that are in a protected industry must be prepared to accept modest wages that arise as a result of protectionism, if not, the economy will suffer, and riots will occur.
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.
Reforming GATT
- The solution to trade barriers is to measure the cost to the national economy and report to the public the cost.
Trade Policy
- The problem is that Australians are consuming more than they produce. Until that is fixed, there is no reduction of the trade deficit.
Joining East Asia
- The most important lesson that we can learn is the export orientation for the most successful countries is high and even going to the extent of subsidising exports.
Trade Policy: The Litmus Test
- Free trade has always been in Australia's best interests. The Liberal's trade policy has called for Australia economy to be integrated internationally by the year 2000.
Of Debt and Protection
- If Australia is to become internationally competitive, we need to reduce tariffs as well as our debt levels.
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.
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.