The John Hyde Archives

Historic archive of articles and newspaper columns written by former Australian politician John Hyde OAM.

Building Owners and Managers Association of Australia Limited (BOMA)

This section contains all of John's 15 articles published in "The Property Economist" where he had a monthly column for his economic overview. The column was published between September 1986 and February 1988.

A Voice from The Wilderness

Economics  Regulation 

  • 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.
Read more...

How Did We Get into This Mess?

Protectionism  Politics 

  • 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.
Read more...

The Coming Year

Economics 

  • Australia has more artificial barriers to high productivity than almost any other nation, in order for the economy to recover with minimal pain we need to have wholesale improvement in productivity and abolish the barriers.
Read more...

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.
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The Wage Case

Industrial Relations  Economics 

  • High minimum wages kill off jobs and increase foreign debt. In order for Australia to have a trade surplus, Australians must improve competitiveness sustainably. Unit costs must be lower than other countries.
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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.
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Getting to The Centenary

Politics  Protectionism 

  • Both side of politics are responsible for industry protectionism. Instead of facing reality, Australians are taking economically unsound popular policies seriously.
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What Should We Expect of The Rest Of 1987?

Economics 

  • Australians have been becoming wealthier but at a slower rate compared to other nations.
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Cut the Deficit and The Crap

Budget  Taxation  Fiscal Policy 

  • Tax cuts are highly desirable but only if a budget deficit is eliminated and government expenditure is reduced. A reduced deficit is a future tax cut.
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US Trade Deficit

Budget  Fiscal Policy  Business 

  • With a deficit, the best thing that our government can do is to get out of the way of entrepreneurs that can take advantage of chances to produce goods and services.
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Beyond Keynesianism And Monetarism

Monopoly 

  • Monopolies produce less at higher prices and will not maximise the community's welfare.
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Why Privatise

Regulation  Business  Taxation 

  • Only when public companies are sold that taxes are paid in meaningful amounts.
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High Buildings to Jump Off

Regulations 

  • Regulations should be minimal, simple and certain.
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Town Planning

Regulations 

  • Town planning reform offers many opportunities to improve economic efficiency and increase living standards as a result.
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The 1930s, The 1980s And Beyond

Economics 

  • Recessions cannot be permanently avoided and due to our industries being unproductive is exacerbating the problems that we are facing due to our borrowing and a world depression.
Read more...