by Benjamin Marks, Economics.org.au editor-in-chief

The Reason

A number of senior and respected Australian businessmen, philanthropists and philosophers, including the founder of Kennards Self Storage, Neville Kennard, are fed up by the total lack of principled political debate in all of Australia’s universities, newspapers, industry groups and so-called think tanks. The exciting Mannkal Economic Education Foundation, which is based in Perth, is not one of those failures, as they are in Westralia, which should not count as part of the Australian nation.

Kennard’s one man army could have chosen the most impressive person in the world to bring out, and they did. Usually a Nobel Prize, if it is shared, is shared between two recipients. But in this case, the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize and the 2012 Nobel Economics Prize themselves had to share the one recipient: Professor Hans-Hermann Hoppe. No decision has ever been more controversial, except, perhaps, for Hoppe’s blunt rejection of the brave and heroic decision to award him those prizes.

This will be Hoppe’s first trip to Australia. In November he will be 62 years old. Having studied the latest advances in econometrics, I plotted these data points on a graph, and the next time Hoppe will be in Australia, he will be 124. So we are lucky to get him at the peak of his powers. For many of you, this will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

The Event

Hoppe will headline the already ridiculously star-studded cast of the Mises Seminar, which will take place on November 25-26, 2011, in Sydney. The other international speakers include: best-selling author and investor, Mark Tier, who is travelling from the Philippines; and mining celebrity, Ron Manners, who is travelling from Westralia. They are both living legends of libertarianism in Australia, despite spending much of their lives abroad.

Of course, the who’s who of resident Australian libertarians will be there.

The Location

The event will be at the Union, Universities and Schools Club (UUSC). The UUSC is Sydney’s most exclusive and prestigious venue, and the compulsory dress code reflects that: ties and blazers for men, and the equivalent for women; no denim, sand-shoes, etc.

The UUSC is located at 25 Bent Street, meaning that is also Sydney’s most central venue. It is more central than Centrepoint Tower. The UUSC is halfway between Centrepoint and Circular Quay, being two blocks from each. Other landmarks two blocks from the UUSC include the vermin-infested locales of the Royal Botanic Gardens, NSW State Parliament and the Reserve Bank Building at Martin Place. So it’s not perfect. But it could be worse; it could be closer.

Circular Quay, in case you don’t know, is the name of the inlet between the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House; it is the hub of Sydney Harbour. Unlike Centrepoint, it is a major ferry terminal, and is also a major bus stop and train station.

I timed how long it takes to walk from the UUSC to the Opera House: 3 minutes, 5 seconds. This is good to know if anyone wants to attend the Bell Shakespeare Company’s Julius Caesar at the Playhouse Theatre of the Opera House, which is on at 7:30 on November 26.

I am writing this from the Opera House. Perhaps if I describe to you what I see, you will be more tempted to attend the Mises Seminar.

I am overlooking one of the great hidden attractions of Sydney: the Sydney Harbour Tunnel. There are parking bays throughout the tunnel, where tourists can park, walk around and get arrested for being outside of a car in the tunnel. The tunnel does not have windows, but most cars have windows fitted if you want to look out one.

Now I’m facing the opposite direction. Taronga Zoo is over there. The design of Taronga Zoo is unusual in that it has been built inside-out. So Sydney caters to those with eccentric tastes. In fact, now I’m standing in a zoo for vegetarians: the Royal Botanic Gardens. The Gardens are filled with fig trees, which reminds me of F.A. Harper, whose wife recalls, “He was fond of figs and justified planting several fig trees by pointing out that it was the only tree that could supply three of the basic human needs: food, clothing, and shelter.”1

And over there thrill-seekers can go on the notoriously popular hunting safari, through the concrete jungle, in a Sydney taxi.

The Price

At only $165 for the dinner and day seminar, this is the best price imaginable for such an event, and is made possible due to the amazing generosity of the speakers and the negotiation skills (annoyingness) of the organisers.

Some people have complained about the price. If university students can’t afford it, they should save more of their government handouts, and spend less of it on heavily-taxed beer. How about if I throw in over 50 weeks of Economics.org.au for free? We don’t have that many tickets remaining anyway. Whatever your budget, there are accommodation options nearby.

Sydney is the most expensive city in the world, but even so, this is a conference with a price tag so low that even people who have to pay their own way can afford it. It’s a pity that think tank staffers only go to events that their employer pays for.

Footnote
  1. Marguerite K. Harper’s reminiscence in vol. 1 of The Writings of F.A. Harper (Menlo, Calif.: Institute for Humane Studies, 1978), p. 10.