The John Hyde Archives
Historic archive of articles and newspaper columns written by former Australian politician John Hyde OAM.
Unknown Year
A Christmas Carol Strikes Back
- The Liberal Cabinet is hobbled by an early election.
- Welfare should be for those who need it.
John Burton
- Relative economic decline should be reversed by deregulation and privatisation.
Oil Revenues
Welfare Taxation Fiscal Policy
- Revenue from the Bass Strait oil fields should be shared as widely as possible instead of being concentrated in unemployment benefits.
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.
The Trilogy
- The trilogy promises are: 1) reduction of the Federal budget, 2) no increase in tax revenue and 3) reduction of Federal budget outlays.
- There is a need to increase investment to meet the trilogy.
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.
The Future of Agriculture
Protectionism Industrial Relations
- The two demands by the National Farmers Federation that industry protection by reduced and that real wages reflect the nation's economic circumstances are reasonable.
Retrospectivity 3
- When a law is interpreted in an unintended way, a new law confirming things are they are thought to be may enhance certainty and equity.
The Opposition's I.R. Policy
Protectionism Industrial Relations Individual Rights
- The Liberal policy will give all employees the right not to join a union.
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.
The Accord
- The accord between the Labour Party and the Trade Unions are about to be tested. A productivity award will cause unemployment to be higher than it should be.
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.
Cheer Up Things Are Getting Worse
Industrial Relations Regulation
- Deregulation will force unionist to bear the consequences of their own actions.
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.
Holmes, Rattigan & Chaney
- Vested interests are no longer stifle debate about protectionism.
The Federal Budget
- The government should adopt the same rigorous prudential standards as businesses
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.
What's at stake at Robe River
- The main issue is whether Robe will be allowed to increase productivity and to invest in further developing costlier ore bodies or will the unions force it out of business.
Education and Guardianship
- The best kind of education where a child can get is one where there is a lot of competition.
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.
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.
Of Taxes and Superannuation
Taxation Superannuation Industrial Relations
- Democracies can slash marginal tax rates if they want to;
- Some people are unwilling or unable to provide for themselves.
- It is the demands of the middle class that make tax reductions difficult.
- Union organised superannuation can be a competitive and safe alternative to high welfare payments and taxes.
The Premier's Plan
- The premiers seem to be incurring disastrous debts in order to buy votes.
Living with The Dole
- In order to have full employment, wages must fall. However, low wages make the dole attractive; there should be a work requirement for the dole.
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.
Jackey's Marsh
- Where private ownership over resources is granted, there usually is loving care over the property.
- The main question is whether the area in Jackey's Marsh is logged, maintained as it is or used in other ways.
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.
Not Published, Doing Business with Too Much Government
- The primary cause of our economic troubles is our government.
- Every privilege is someone's cost.
The New Enlightenment
- To describe people who want less state authority as "right" is slander.
What is Unemployment?
- Unemployment figures are no longer a good proxy for economic distress which must be identified more directly.
The NFF Seeks Audience
- The National Farmers Federation (NFF)'s paper argues that the government's policies are unable to cope with changes.
The Laffer Curve
- There should have been greater expenditure cuts to compensate for tax cuts on the low and middle-income taxpayers.
Will Unemployment Ever Come Down
- Reducing taxes on the lowest paid where anyone who was on unemployment benefits will be better off working is the most politically and morally right.
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.
Welfare, Targeting Need
- In practice, the number who qualifies for unemployment benefits must be reduced by restricting eligibility.
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.
Health Care
- Doctors and hospital bed must be rationed, and supply must be matched to demand by queuing.
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.
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.
Of Unions, Rights and Property
Industrial Relations Taxation Property Rights
- The poorest person has no property but their labour.
- The government's first responsibility is the security of its citizens. Does taxation extend to the right of labour of its citizens?
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.
The Fiscal Problem
- Public sector borrowing requirement must be eliminated and the Commonwealth must move quickly to a modest surplus with the States coming close to fiscal balance.
Howard III
- John Howard cannot stop reading differences from being aired nor should he try.
The Deficit 1987
Economics Taxation Fiscal Policy
- When governments borrow rather than raise taxes, there are several consequences: 1) The young lose, 2) investments drop, 3) The country's credit rating suffers, 4) The police are required to force people to service the debt, 5) Foreign debt accumulates and 6) The government is tempted to inflate the currency.
South Africa
- Political power is least important in a liberal free market society with a small government.
Two Ways of Coping with Unions
- Reducing the power of unions until they have to obey the law like everyone else.
- Passing legislation to override the power of the unions.
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
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.
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 Darwin Water Front
- Militant trade unionism is not the only reason for our declining living standards and the difficulties of balance of payments but there is no doubt that both would be improve without it.
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.
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.
Corporatism and the ACTU
- Corporatism with its concentration arbitrary power is an evil system and Italian Fascism is the best example of that.
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.
The Budget
- The government has already implemented all the tax cuts it can afford and avoiding the real issue of expenditure. A good budget that does not achieve surplus of a billion without new taxes is a bad budget
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.
Replying to the ACTU
Industrial Relations Individual Rights
- In Australia, a small wage restraint was bought by offering more power to the ACTU and the unions.
- In Australia, the only basic human right not respected is the right to sell one's labour.
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.
The Children's Services Program
- Should child welfare payments be directly to single parents to be self-sufficient, most taxpayers would be happy for it to be so. However, the resources are being urged to be diverted by militant feminists to schemes that will increase the child care costs per child.
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.
The Family
- Today, most people believe that the state has prime responsibility for lesser familial services such as education, childcare and providing financially for the aged.
- Most families that do meet the welfare needs of their members succeed far better than those that don't.
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.
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.
Confessions of A Multiculturalist
- The best thing that government can do for multiculturalism is to not interfere with people's lives.
- Natural multiculturalism and cultural changes offers Australia the best hope of economic recovery.
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.
What Happened to Charity?
- The reason why welfare fails is that the middle class are taxed and its recipients. Welfare does not get to the poor.
- Largesse that places no obligation on the recipient spoils them.
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.
The Source of Union Power
- The power of the unions is both political and industrial.
- A monopoly is only as effective as the barrier that holds out competitors.
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.
Tax Avoidance & Civil Disobedience
- Some level of tax is needed to preserve society and payments should be made to the needy.
- When levels of taxation are high enough, the people will feel unfairly imposed upon and thus will avoid them.
How We Talk About Aborigines
- Due to the cultural differences and even with land rights for Indigenous Australians, Indigenous Australians have not prospered in comparison with the rest of society.
- We need stop denying the best of all our cultures.
Micro Economic Reform
- Whenever there is an economic crisis, vested interests lose their hold over the government.
- Unfortunately, some parties are prepared for the country to be destroyed rather than give up their interests.
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.
Partington
- Education is predicated on objective standards and can only assessed using those standards.
Labour Markets
- Restoration of personal liberties, increased productivity, low inflation and full employment should be the goals of any labour market reform.
- However, any reform must take into account of the consideration power of the unions.
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.
Academic Accountability
- Any paid academic must be held accountable for the value of their salary and academic freedom is best protected by an absence of government funding and a large range of sponsors.
On Bill Carmichael's Retirement
- For any major reform to be successful, a vested interest with a major stake in the reform must carry it.
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.
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.
Robe River Iron and The Common Law
- The Robe River Iron Associates (RRIA) should not be demonised for using the law to recover their company property and their poor public relations should not be used as an excuse to bully them.
Super Unions
- For any society to function, there must be near consensus about fundamental rules.
- Competition with the established rules has a better record than the protectionism imposed by ministers and union officials.
Player or Ring Keeper?
- When private players enlist the government in intervening in the economy, the "ring-bearer" may become corrupt.
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.
Dawkins Tertiary Funding Proposals
- A graduate tax is not unfair to students as knowledge is a valuable private good.
- The nature of subsidised education creates economic rents.
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.
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.
Merrindie
- Bert Kelly influenced the people into seeing that ideas should sometime prevail over interests.
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 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 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.
Wheat Marketing: Too Much Politics
- When any vested interest creates a monopoly, the price of the product is then raised.
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.
Consumerism
- Organisations that should be advocating for more choices for consumers, use public money to pursue an agenda that is opposite of consumer choice.
Values
- People must be responsible for the consequences of their actions. When the government intervenes, there is a cost and should therefore be limited.
Immigration Hypocrisy
- Diversity is potentially a source of program but also of factionalism. Children of immigrants would seem to be integrating into Australia given their excellent exam results.
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.
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.
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.
What Price the Accord?
- The accord has delivered wage restraint at a cost which is the higher levels of overseas debt and higher account deficit.
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.
The IAC Report
- Protectionism reduces living standards.
- The debate about the costs of protectionism has been won.
Tax File Number
- Tax laws are now so complex that no reasonable man may know his liability.
- The Commissioner is using the threat of unknown penalties to frighten individuals into paying their liabilities.
The Liberals Won't Tax Gold
- The economic objection to an industry paying less than its share of taxation is that some other industry will have to pick up the slack and comparative advantage of each industry is ignored.
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.
Rimmer
- When the government privileges some newly declared Australians over the rest of Australia, the government violates the implied authority given to it to treat all Australians equally.
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.
The OTC Sacking
- Monopolies do not go broke as they can pass on any unnecessary costs on to their customers.
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.
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.
How to Generate Poverty Without Really Trying
- To alleviate poverty, most of the poor will become rich only by given the opportunity to work, save and exchanging their goods and services.
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.
The Government and The Wage Round
Protectionism Industrial Relations
- The government should not be entrenching the unions. They should be doing what is right for the economy.
The National Companies and Securities Commission
- The National Companies and Securities Commission (NCSC) should be dissolved if they are seen to be protecting certain interests.
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.
The Case Against the Tax File Number
- Income tax is intrusive, penalises investment, uncertain and unfair. It should be replaced by a consumption tax.
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.
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.
Reforming GATT
- The solution to trade barriers is to measure the cost to the national economy and report to the public the cost.
Corporate Taxation
- Australian investment is poor due to rules discouraging investment. The tax system should be changed to remove the penalties from investment.
A Report Card for School
- Teachers must be given the incentives to perform well and be disciplined by the market if they do not perform.
Of Honour and Politics
- Friction is in the nature of politics, there is a need to conduct the party's affairs well.
Housing Interest Rates
- High interest rates reduce consumption by the same amount that savings would have increased.
One Australia *
- Society cannot function without some shared values and some values are so central to our society that they are non-negotiable.
- Those aspects of our culture that protects civil rights must be accepted by all and it would be unfair to everyone by pretending otherwise.
Whither Florence Nightingale?
Protectionism Industrial Relations
- If individual nurses could be rewarded for their productivity, union protectionism would not work, and patients and taxpayers would not be bled.
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.
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.
Retirement Income
- By the year 2030, we will need to allow people to work longer and have to raise the age from which people can claim government pensions.
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.
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.
Foreign Aid
- Foreign aid props up governments that might otherwise fall, it leads to inevitable politicisation of life and degradation of life there.
Ian McLachlan
- Mr McLachlan's H.R Nichols Society address was significant in that it addressed waterfront work practices and he is a future Liberal MP with leadership potential.
Of Ethics and The Economy
- In this current climate, our government places electoral interests ahead of policies that will benefit society overall.
On Not Subsidising Ansett
Protectionism Industrial Relations
- Since the Prime Minister cannot subsidise every everyone that has been disadvantaged by a strike, he should not subsidise the wealthy that have the ear of the government.
Youth Employment
- Many government programs subsidise employers to hire apprentices. This is admitting that young, unskilled employees are overpriced due to the minimum wage.
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.
Des Moore
- Des Moore of the IPA had two recommendations: 1) debt does matter 2) monetary policy must be tightened.
The Annual Convention of The Industrial Relations Society of WA (Inc)
- The fundamental reason why the labour market deregulation has not proceeded was indicated by a trade union official belief that most of society cannot get along. Unfortunately, he did not believe that most of society would appreciate directing their own affairs.
Political Corruption
- If there had been proper parliamentary disclosure, there would not have been case of political corruption such as WA Inc.
Those Vietnamese Refugees
- The immigration of any group that is willing to integrate into Australian society is good as the group will enrich the economy and society.
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.
Victory Without Blood
- With the collapse of communism, millions of people gained a measure of freedom without bloodshed.
Healthcare, Unions, Solidarity and Conflict
Industrial Relations Healthcare
- One characteristic of a protected industry is that few of the decision makers have to bear the consequence of their decisions.
- Another characteristic is that authority is used to set prices instead of demand and supply determining prices.
What Right to Strike?
- Any strike is a collusion by employees to raise the price of their labour and there is no inherent human right to do so.
- Sanctions that clearly subtract from other people's rights should be illegal.
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.
Business Ethics
- We tend to think the bankruptcy causes unemployment and loss of assets, by bailing out bankrupt companies, we subvert the ethics of the free market in redistributing over-valued assets under new management.
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.
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.
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.
Hospitals
- The reform of healthcare insurance is difficult because people are afraid of big medical bills and a lack of knowledge about their options.
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.
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 Election and The Debt
- The incoming government must deal with the problem of excessive foreign debt. Increased productivity is the only way to go.
Some Budget Cuts
- We might have more confidence in the political parties if they would face up to economic problems instead of just promises to spend more.
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.
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.
Mr Greiner's Environment
- Mr Greiner's 'Earth Day' speech outlined an approach to environmental management that doesn't prevent the achievement of other values which most people hold dear.
Wool Again
- Buffer stock for any protected industry fails and it gets strong nations into trouble.
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.
Immigration and The Environment (requested by David Armstrong)
Environment Immigration Collectivism Property Rights
- The average collectivist greens person does not want to increase immigration either because of greed or prejudice. However, a larger population will preserve the environment if a system of private property rights is maintained.
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.
Sharabhron Ardeshiran v Robe River Iron Associates
- The legislation enshrines anti-business prejudice even though it was intended to address prejudice.
Our Sort of Culture
- The ultimate purpose of the immigration/refugee policy should be to permit as many people as possible to enjoy liberty and prosperity as Australian can offer them.
- The selection criteria can be improved by making it as objective as possible.
Education: An Outsider's View
- Schooling fails to educate because it is often banal. Most students and teachers are bored by the syllabus.
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.
Inflation
Economics Currencies & Commodities
- To prevent inflation, people must be given reason to expect that prices of things they buy will stop rising.
- Currency management should be done independently from the government by the Reserve Bank and the board of the Reserve Bank held to account.
Telecom
- Telecom is Australia's biggest state-backed monopoly. It should be broken up and privatised. However, the biggest opposition to such a plan is political not economic with 85,000 employees.
Dr Bruce Ames
- Dr Bruce Ames is a scientist that has specialised in carcinogens and he has indicated that we consume trace amounts of deadly chemicals and we should vary our diet to ensure the exposure is remains small.
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.
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.
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.
Risk
Currencies & Commodities Business
- Although new technologies bring risks, they also confer benefits and the two cannot be separated. Nuclear power generation is the cheapest form of power generation and would elevate the pressure on coal and oil supplies.
Wool Again
- The demand for wool is elastic due to substitutes, there is no reason why the wool industry should have price controls in place.
The Uruguay Round: A Fool's Dialogue?
- Policies that increase living standards are called "sacrifices". Fortunately, not every country does so all the time.
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.
Australia's New Protectionism
- Control over exports is reserved to the Federal Government. There is much it can do to improve competitiveness without creating more privileges.
Doomsaying
- Markets provide feedback for us to correct past mistakes and embrace new opportunities. By taking what doomsayers at their own value, if we implement policies that restrict opportunities, we place our society in real danger.
The Wrigley Report
- The Wrigley Report questions the way that Australia spends on its defence forces. It raises questions that no one has the answers to.
Rural Inconsistency
- It is hypocritical for Liberals to advocate for a free-market approach yet refuse to abolish the reserve price for wool.
The Family in The Welfare State
- We should not be discriminating between separated and divorced families the same as intact families.
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.
What Sort of Immigrants?
- If we do not improve our immigration policy, we will become more worried about emigration than immigration.
Compassion
- The meaning of Compassion has been corrupted to mean the sort of blame assignment instead of helping others without expectation of reward.
Income Tax
- Although a consumption tax is a better tax base than income tax, it is difficult to administer. The best solution would be to minimise government spending.
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.
The Education Problem
- The issue with education is that it is a monopoly which is compulsory for children to attend and which parents have limited power.
The Welfare Monopoly
- Governments find it hard to advocate welfare reform without being accused of abandoning the welfare system itself.
Appeasement Does Not Work
- War should not be avoided at all costs, had Hitler been stopped early, we might have avoided a world war.
Of Debt and Protection
- If Australia is to become internationally competitive, we need to reduce tariffs as well as our debt levels.
Anti-Competitive Behaviour in The Health-Care Industry
Protectionism Healthcare Competition Welfare
- Politicians must face the political problem posed by wealthy, high-risk users of Medicare who would be worse off should the system be made more competitive and fairer. Politicians cannot compensate all and will have to decide who cannot afford to lose Medicare benefits.
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.
Of Uranium and Wool
Protectionism Currencies & Commodities
- Australians have learnt that we cannot control the behaviour of the rest of the world and we would be better off selling uranium that we produce to parties that are strictly vetted.
Of Rural Industry and The Economy
- The reason for our relative economic decline is the failure to seek out areas where we have comparative advantage.
- For the moment, primary industry such as farming, and mining is where we are efficient.
The Real Exchange Rate
Currencies & Commodities Monetary Policy Economics
- The solution to our problems is to raise productivity by deregulating and privatising and encouraging saving.
- The coming devaluation of our currency will increase inflation can be prevented by increasing wages and other costs as long as necessary.
The Wool Corporation's Stocks
- By allowing the Australian Wool Council to build up buffer stocks and to control prices, we are allowing them to ride a boom into a recession as managers of such schemes cannot be trusted.
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.
Environment in The Bush
- Private property is best for the environment where owners safeguard the value of the property by taking care of their land.
Making Full Employment Legal
Industrial Relations Individual Rights
- The Coalition promise to de-criminalising individuals selling their labour will improve our living standards and pay off our foreign debts.
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.
Taxing Investment
- To reduce our foreign debt, we need to increase our savings. However, the government subsidises those that don't save by providing pension and penalises those that do by increasing the tax rates.
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.
Cutting Government
- Any expenditure cuts should be done in a timely manner by people who are familiar with budget outlays.
What Right to Strike?
Industrial Relations Competition Individual Rights
- A competitive labour market works only if both employers and employees are competitive. Union sanctions affect the rights of individuals.
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.
Education
Education Taxation Competition
- Education is a private benefit which the government subsidises by using taxpayer's monies. It is time we allowed all schools to compete on equal financial terms and allow parents to select their child's education.
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.
Every Galah in The Country Is Parroting Micro-Economic Reform
- The relevance of micro-economic reform is that reduction in foreign debt leads to a more productive economy and an increase in living standards. However, it tends to be resisted by those that need it the most.
How to Create an Oil Crisis
Economics Business Currencies & Commodities
- If you stop oil companies from making profits, they will stop delivering fuel to our vehicles, the situation would be made worse.
Wool III
- The reserve price scheme is preventing consumption from increasing, reduction of production and the costs of storage of the wool stockpile.
Farmers' Woes
- Wool is the industry where unwise government intervention has exacerbated the farmers' problems.
Greenhouse
- There has not been enough evidence that justifies public policies with huge economic costs.
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.
But for The Government's Help
Fiscal Policy Currencies & Commodities
- The McCoil Report estimates a saving of at least $10 per tonne of wheat if there was no government intervention.
Defence
- Defence is an area where government activity cannot be privatised. Defence can be made more efficient by privatising some support services.
Property Rights and The Environment
- There is an exchange of rights between environmental goods such as clean air and water and between non-environmental goods such as food and medicines.
- Owners of private property have the ability to choose between the both and are the first line of defence for the environment.
Families and The Welfare State
- We cannot turn away from the needy. However, the growth of the modern welfare state has increase poverty.
Some Wool Industry History
- There has been a previous referendum in December 1965 a reserve price scheme for wool but was rejected by the growers. The politicians still implemented the scheme without taking their views into consideration.
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.
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.