Welcome to www.VivForbes.info.
Viv is currently active at the just-launched Saltbush Club

Video: A 1985 speech by Viv Forbes on checking government growth:

A 2011 speech by Viv Forbes on his free-market advocacy:

Prose:
(a.) Viv Forbes biographical info and comments on strategy (3 items)
(b.) Workers Party, 1975-76 (3 items)
(c.) Progress Party, 1978-83 (24 items)
(d.) Tax Payers United, 1984-86 (8 items)
(e.) Foundation for Economic Education (Qld), Common Sense, Business Queensland, 1990-91 (14 items)
(f.) Common Sense, Business Queensland, 1994-97 (10 items)
(g.) The Carbon Sense Coalition, 2007-18 (29 items that we republished, but millions more at their site)
(h.) Others (14 items)
Poetry:
1. “AORTA”
2. “The Do-Gooders”
3. “Ten Little Businessmen”
4. “Land of the Free”
5. “The Numbered Men”
6. “The Politician”
7. “Stale Eggs in the Valley”
8. “The Federation Cross”
9. “The Spectator”
10. “He showed the way”

(a.) Viv Forbes biographical info and comments on strategy

  1. Viv Forbes Wins 1986 Adam Smith Award — “The Tide Turning?,” The Optimist, Nov/Dec 1986, pp. 5-8.
  2. The Libertarian Movement in Australia,” a five minute address by Viv Forbes to a special meeting of the Mont Pelerin Society in Hong Kong, September 1978. Republished in Ron Manners’ Heroic Misadventures (West Perth, Australia: Mannwest Group, 2009), pp. 153-54.
  3. Viv’s listing in the 1976 Who’s Who in the Workers Party (“Who’s Who in the W.P.,” freeEnterprise, March, 1976, pp. 4-5) reads:

37 yrs. A business analyst and geologist with Mt. Isa Mines, Viv Forbes got the Party going in Queensland. He is a quiet, retiring man, devoid of ego problems, who has quietly devoted large amounts of time, energy and his own money to the Queensland branch of the W.P. His official position is that of provisional Secretary of the Party in Qld. He is a libertarian.

(b.) Workers Party, 1975-76

  1. Political branch formed,” The Courier-Mail, February 26, 1975, p. 25. On the Brisbane branch of the Workers Party.
  2. Vision based on freedom,” The Australian Financial Review, April 20, 1976, p. 10, as a letter to the editor.
  3. Workers Party urges census boycott,” The Canberra Times, June 21, 1976, p. 3.

(c.) Progress Party, 1978-83

  1. “At a loss,” The Australian, October 12, 1978, p. 6, as a letter to the editor. This and the following two items are compiled here.
  2. “The ultimate,” The Australian, October 20, 1978, p. 6, as a letter to the editor.
  3. “Barriers,” The Australian, November 14, 1978, p. 8, as a letter to the editor.
  4. HEALING THYSELF,” The Australian, January 11, 1979, p. 6, as a letter to the editor. Excerpt: “Let’s look at a typical Australian whose birth is registered by the Government. He will then be hounded by bureaucrats and tax collectors for the rest of his life.”
  5. “Mine control,” The Australian, May 4, 1979, p. 8, as a letter to the editor. This and the following three items are compiled here.
  6. “Growing big — a public service?,” The Weekend Australian, June 2-3, 1979, p. 12, as a letter to the editor.
  7. “Political gifts,” The Australian, August 27, 1979, p. 8, as a letter to the editor.
  8. “Better idea,” The Australian, November 21, 1979, p. 8, as a letter to the editor.
  9. Right on the move,” The Bulletin, November 27, 1979, p. 6, as a letter to the editor. Excerpt: “Had you bothered to venture into the frontier States two years ago, you would have noticed the birth of a radical political movement called the Progress Party. You would have seen them get an average 10 percent of the vote across every electorate in the Northern Territory. You would have seen regular grass-roots support of 5 percent, 10 percent and 15 percent among the farmers of Geraldton, the graziers of Dalby, the dairymen of Gympie and the suburbanites of Mount Coot-tha in Brisbane. You would have seen a new breed of councillors appearing in Shire and City Halls as far apart as Kalgoorlie, Ipswich and Charters Towers. You would have noticed a growing philosophical confidence among the maverick spokesmen for the ratepayers, the taxpayers and the consumers.”
  10. The Electoral Act should allow voters to choose “none of the above” — “Election ‘illusion’,” The Canberra Times, April 21, 1980, p. 9.
  11. Limit on ‘free enterprise’,” The Australian Financial Review, July 22, 1980, p. 13, as a letter to the editor.
  12. Govt action hurts business,” The Australian Financial Review, August 6, 1980, p. 13, as a letter to the editor.
  13. Are you a real friend of the ABC? — “Money to burn?,” The Bulletin, August 5, 1980, p. 18, as a letter to the editor. Excerpt: “It would seem fairly obvious that most people would prefer not to have their viewing interrupted by advertising. They would also prefer free housing and hot dogs and beer.”
  14. The mouse will roar,” The Australian, September 3, 1980, p. 6, as a letter to the editor.
  15. Govt stifles business,” The Australian Financial Review, September 18, 1980, p. 11, as a letter to the editor.
  16. Poll speech sets record,” The Courier-Mail, October 7, 1980, p. 3. Excerpt: “He said the program talking about the growth of the public sector and noted that the average Australian working man supported a wife, two children and three bureaucrats.”
  17. Taxes on all but sex,” The Bulletin, October 14, 1980, pp. 17-18, as a letter to the editor.
  18. Just one memo,” The Australian Financial Review, November 12, 1980, p. 13, as a letter to the editor. Excerpt: “Most bureaucrats will support [cutting government], except they will want to cut it lengthwise.”
  19. The ‘practice’ of liberalism,” The Australian Financial Review, December 18, 1980, p. 9, as a letter to the editor. Excerpt: “I thought ‘free’ enterprise meant ‘free to choose’ not ‘free of charge’.”
  20. Free interest rate market,” The Australian Financial Review, May 8, 1981, p. 13, as a letter to the editor.
  21. ‘The airline conspiracy’,” The Australian Financial Review, May 28, 1981, p. 11, as a letter to the editor.
  22. Save the taxpayers,” The Sydney Morning Herald, June 6, 1982, p. 25, “News Digest” section.
  23. The party that stands by its word,” The Age, February 16, 1983, p. 15. Excerpt: “‘Policy speeches are a non-event for us’, Mr Viv Forbes said. ‘Not one word has changed in our policy since 1977.'”
  24. Vote for least and lose less,” The Australian Financial Review, March 3, 1983, p. 13, as a letter to the editor.

(d.) Tax Payers United, 1984-86

  1. United against taxes,” The Courier-Mail, June 8, 1984, p. 13.
  2. Call for Govt administrator,” The Courier-Mail, August 6, 1984, p. 8.
  3. Privatise Now! while they are still worth something — “Let’s sell,” The Australian, January 23, 1985, p. 8, as a letter to the editor.
  4. 1985 news item on Tax Payers United, Centre 2000 and the Australian Adam Smith Club — Alan Tate, “Conservatives grab tax issue and run,” The Sydney Morning Herald, July 2, 1985, p. 7.
  5. Beware the monster in the attic,” The Australian, October 17, 1985, p. 10, as a letter to the editor.
  6. Our homeless regulation refugees — “Government committee a sick joke,” The Australian Financial Review, January 3, 1986, p. 9, as a letter to the editor. A similar version appeared as “The sick joke of the year,” The Weekend Australian, February 15-16, 1986, p. 14, as a letter to the editor.
  7. What we have is not a drug problem but a drug law problem — “Trapped in the dole queues,” The Weekend Australian, April 19-20, 1986, p. 16, as a letter to the editor.
  8. Caught in a welfare whirlpool,” The Australian, July 11, 1986, p. 12, as a letter to the editor. Excerpt: “Taxes have consumed the carrot; welfare has broken the stick. This is why Australia can no longer compete, except in sport, where winners and losers are still allowed under the law.”

(e.) Foundation for Economic Education (Qld), Common Sense, Business Queensland, 1990-91

  1. Stuck on Red
  2. Property & Prosperity
  3. Crown Monopolies
  4. The Right to Discriminate
  5. No End to Fuelish Policies? — Correct.
  6. Free Water Costs Too Dam Much
  7. The Road to Homelessness
  8. The New Federalism — Excerpt: “Federation has undoubtedly been a failure for Australians.”
  9. Planning & Prosperity
  10. Creating Unemployment
  11. Magnifying National Disasters
  12. Please Don’t Feed the Animals
  13. The Pyramid Builders
  14. The Contract Society

(f.) Common Sense, Business Queensland, 1994-97

  1. The Middle of the Road — On compromise in politics. Lots of Bastiat quotes.
  2. Time to Butcher “Aussie Beef”
  3. The Anti-Industry
  4. Buy Birdsville Made?
  5. The Tax Collection Industry
  6. Mining in Queensland, Past, Present and Future
  7. Touring Bureaucrats — “If Thomas Jefferson were living here today he would probably be forced to re-define the essential role of government as ‘the protection of life, liberty and property and the promotion of tourism’.”
  8. A Model Ministry — “No 7 in the Model Ministry is the Minister for Tax Reduction. Her job is to prevent the introduction of any new taxes, veto any increase in tax rates, and reduce the number of taxes and their cost to taxpayers.”
  9. Growth Mythology — “I look forward to the TV presenter who says, ‘The quarterly GDP statistics were released today. Luckily no one noticed, and no harm was done’.”
  10. Pushing on a String — The Milk of the Welfare Teat is Watered Down

(g.) The Carbon Sense Coalition, 2007-18
The Carbon Sense Coalition website is www.carbon-sense.com. Viv’s work on this continues at the Saltbush Club.

  1. Put Windmills in National Parks
  2. Why Wind Won’t Work
  3. A Profusion of “Prices”
  4. The Carbon Pollution Lie
  5. Closing Down Australia
  6. Carbon Tax Bribery
  7. Carbon Tax Job Losses
  8. What Next, A Tax on Water?
  9. Carbon Health Warnings Coming Soon
  10. Propaganda Puts Paid to Proof
  11. “Crops for Cars” as Bad as Everlasting Drought
  12. The Emissions Trading Casino
  13. The Five Point Plan to kill the economy with High Cost Electricity
  14. Put a Sunset Clause in the Carbon Tax
  15. Carbon Tax Lies and Bribes
  16. “The Science is Settled” BUT Durban Climate Summit Not Cancelled
  17. Having the numbers is not the same as having the truth
  18. Global Warming Season
  19. The New Brisbane Line?
  20. Carbon Lies
  21. Solving Three Canberra Problems
  22. Vested Interests in the Climate Debate
  23. Carbon Tax Retrospective?
  24. Carbon Price Propaganda Taxes the Truth
  25. Don’t Burn Food for Motor Spirit – Feed People not Cars
  26. Two Big Climate Taxes
  27. Greens Rediscover Hydrogen Car
  28. Hobbling the Competition
  29. Sunset for Solar Subsidies

(h.) Other

  1. Lang Hancock’s Five Point Plan to Cripple Australia
  2. We Mine to Live
  3. The Economics of Flood Risk
  4. R.I.P. Ron Kitching – pioneer, explorer, author, family man, entrepreneur, scholar
  5. Atlas of Australia
  6. Safety Mania, 6/4/1992
  7. Shutting Out The Sun, 16/8/1992
  8. Coal – Sinking in the Swamps, 20/9/1997
  9. Cubic Currency Coming, 13/9/1998
  10. “Dear Government”, September 1998
  11. Our slip-shod laws to blame,” The Australian, January 26, 1987, p. 8, as a letter to the editor.
  12. Deek factor,” The Weekend Australian, October 29-30, 1988, p. 22, as a letter to the editor.
  13. Smoking, Health and Freedom, 11/1991
  14. And a November 2001 letter to the Queensland Premier by Viv Forbes was republished as the climax of Ron Manners, “What would Shakespeare think of our mining industry?,” February 28, 2002.

Viv Forbes’ Political Poetry (10 classics)

1. “AORTA”

It was a happy settlement
     the people strong and free.
They tended flocks and tilled the soil
     and fished upon the sea.

The north wind brought the raiders
     with their swords and greedy eyes.
They stripped the land and left behind
     a blight of funeral pyres.

“We must unite” the people said
     “to beat these robber bands.
We’ll arm ourselves and train our men
     to sweep them from our lands.”

T’was thus they formed a government
     to save them from the foe.
It levied tax and raised the troops
     and laid the looters low.

The system was a great success
     and wealth grew all around.
The idle troopers then were used
     to police the roads and towns.

A thinker from a foreign land
     said “You must help the poor.
Ya orta get the government
     to pass a welfare law.”

AORTA spread like smallpox germs
     it raced down every road.
As every loafer raised his voice
     “AORTA ease my load.”

“AORTA keep the prices down,
     AORTA teach the kids,
AORTA start a dancing troop,
     AORTA print the quids.”

Alas, AORTA has a sting,
     a dreadful side effect.
It brings a rash of taxes
     which the troopers must collect.

The troopers’ swords grew rusty
     and the farms were filled with weeds.
The cities turned to hives of drones
     whose product was “Free Feeds”.

But hungry eyes were watching still
     the grim north wind did blow.
Soon bloated corpses filled the streets
     “AORTA” laid them low.

2. “The Do-Gooders”

They put taxes on tobacco
     so the smokers turned to pot.
They put levies on tomatoes
     so the growers let them rot.
They tried a tax on imports
     but the smugglers beat them there.
So they whacked a tax on whisky
     and the stills grew everywhere.

They nationalised the railways
     but the service was so poor,
That the people all bought Holdens
     just to get from door to door.
They tried to run the airlines
     but the prices went so high,
That they formed a new committee
     just to regulate the sky.

They paid men to be idle
     so the unemployment grew.
They subsidised the failures
     and the bankrupts swelled anew.
They gave “free” education
     but its value fell to naught.
So they underwrote the opera
     but found culture can’t be bought.

In the name of “health and welfare”
     they paid all the doctors’ bills,
But the health-tax was enormous
     just to pay for all their ills.
In the name of “Life be in it”
     came a Ministry of Sport,
But the horde of paid officials
     made this just another rort.

“Let’s have welfare for the needy”
     said a well-paid bureaucrat,
So to make sure they were needy
     all the oldies spent their fat.
In the name of “Job creation”
     they spent money in great gobs,
But the taxes grabbed to fund it
     killed a hundred thousand jobs.

“No more of this do-gooding”
     said the people in disgust,
“Stop helping us at our expense
     or we’ll all end up bust.
Just pay the troops and run the courts
     and police the local beat.
For all the rest, just let us be,
     and our troubles will retreat.”

3. “Ten Little Businessmen”

Ten little businessmen at the starting line,
One forgot to register
And then there were nine.

Nine little businessmen set up in the state,
One got closed by union rules
And then there were eight.

Eight little businessmen seeking out their heaven,
One got beat by bureaucrats
And then there were seven.

Seven little businessmen copping lots of kicks,
One had all his land resumed
And then there were six.

Six little businessmen flat out to stay alive,
One failed to pay his income tax
And then there were five.

Five little businessmen yet to close the door,
One fell foul of factory laws
And then there were four.

Four little businessmen almost on their knees,
Officials put a quota on
And then there were three.

Three little businessmen paying all their dues,
One forgot to file a form
And then there were two.

Two little businessmen their finance almost done,
Inspectors made one close his doors
And then there was one.

One little businessman working just for fun,
He’s off next week to USA
And then there’ll be none.

4. “Land of the Free”

One day in the land of the strong and the free,
John Rover said “Brother, this job’s not for me.
All I do for my pay
Is file forms every day
I’ll resign and produce for my fee.”

“I’m strong and determined, I’ll get me a farm,
I’ll build with the brawn of my arm.”
But alas for John Rover
His quest was not over
For his lawyer was filled with alarm.

“You’ve no permit for dairying, you’ve no quota for eggs,
You’ve no licence for honey or pigs.
You can’t trade in wheat
They’re closing down meat
And there’s levies on apples and figs.

“Not to worry” said John “I’ll work with my hands,
I can build, I can paint or drain land.”
But the council said, “No,
Such a man has no show
Til he’s licensed, and numbered, and planned.”

“Forget it,” said John, “I’ll go work in the mine,
They need men who are willing to sign.”
But the men on the picket
Said “Show us your ticket
Or there’s no work for you on this line.”

So John packed up his bluey and went back to town,
“There’s one place they won’t turn me down.
I’ll rejoin the department
And forget where my heart went
I’ll be sure of good pay with the crown.

John Rover now sits at a desk, sipping tea;
He handles the permits and fees.
When they speak of their schemes
He still thinks of his dreams
Of what could be in the land of the free.

5. “The Numbered Men”

One day while I was driving down the highway in the sun
I sat behind a milk truck just returning from his run.
His sign said “Licensed Vendor” and it made me feel secure
That only numbered milkmen could come knocking on my door.

Then I saw a licensed builder with his number on the door
And a plumber with a permit which was issued by the law.
Then a hawker and publican each with his licence plate
And a licensed money lender with his number on the gate.

I pulled into a café, which was licensed to sell beer
And struck up conversation with a licensed auctioneer.
He’d just been selling forfeit goods to pay the fines imposed
On a maverick hardware dealer whose late trading he’d exposed.

A warm glow spread inside me as I drank a licensed beer
And I pictured the inspectors who called in every year
To check upon the numbered men and safeguard fools like me
Who’d waste their money buying things from men who paid no fee.

I thought of all the union men whose cards protect their job
And dairy men whose quota scheme defends them from the mob.
The teachers who are registered, the chemists with their guilds
And lawyers with their closed cartel which keeps their coffers filled.

As I sat among the numbered men it suddenly occurred
That I was just a cleanskin in a tamed and numbered herd.
Somehow I’d missed the muster when the planner combed the land
And now I was a maverick, a man without a brand.

The numbered men live sheltered lives, their keeper is the State,
Their job depends less on their skills than on their licence plate.
Their future is determined and their charges are prescribed,
And the standards of their conduct are in rules and acts described.

But thank the Lord for mavericks, who don’t fit in the mould,
They help distract the licence-men from getting far too bold.
Without the help of mavericks, the planners would persist
Till we all need applications for a licence to exist.

6. “The Politician”

There was a young man of ambition
Who wished to improve his position.
He was no good at school
And he couldn’t use tools
So he chose the career politician.

First he set out to learn elocution
For he quickly had reached the conclusion
That to lie with conviction
Would win more elections
Than to mumble the truth in confusion.

“And my policies must not offend.
There’s no room for ideas that won’t bend.
So I’ll stand in the middle
And use high sounding riddles
To attract all the mugs from both ends.”

And his father, who’d try any way,
Said “Son, if you want to make hay,
You must promise them more
Of the things they adore
While forgetting to mention who pays.”

“And everyone’s tax must come down.
(At least that’s how it must sound)
In a fiscal mishap
You can make up the gap
By printing more notes to go round.

“This will result in inflation
And complaints will arise in the nation.
But you must maintain
That the cause of the pain
Are the villains evading taxation.”

The poll was a one sided game
“A statesman” the media exclaimed.
In the house he was cheered
For a speech that was geared
To the old, the poor and the lame.

Then his father outlined his mistake
“That must be the last speech you make.
To keep your safe job
Don’t risk stirring the mob
Till you pick up your golden hand-shake.”

So he said yea or nay right on cue
While his perks and his income they grew.
But the people back home
Wondered what had become
Of the silver tongued pollie they knew.

7. “Stale Eggs in the Valley”

There once was a farmer, O’Malley,
Who kept the best hens in the valley;
He took eggs to town
And sold them all round
They all loved old farmer O’Malley.

Then the Egg Board said “Have you a permit?”
But O’Malley refused to confirm it.
He told those from the board
Who descended in hoards,
“I don’t need your permit, I’ve earned it.”

The board said “This must be corrected
For the public they must be protected.
You’ll pay up your fees
Or you’ll end on your knees,
We’ll be round the next day to collect it.”

Now this was a shock for O’Malley,
But he didn’t dilly or dally.
He got all his chooks
And hung them on hooks
And sold them to butcher McNally.

The thugs from the board came next morning.
They said “We gave you fair warning.
We’re taking your hens
We’re locking your pens
And we’re slapping a writ on your awning.”

O’Malley’s kind features went hard,
Then he smiled as he played his last card –
“If you want to steal chicks
You’ve got to be quick
But you’ll find not a hen in this yard.”

Now the egg men have fallen from grace
And they get lots of egg on their face.
Though the board tries to please
With its quotas and fees
There’s not a fresh egg in the place.

And O’Malley now lives on relief,
And he sits and nurses his grief
As he thinks of the time
When to serve was no crime
And the life of such boards would be brief.

8. “The Federation Cross”

Away back in the good old days
     when men could find a job;
When money was as good as gold
     and tax was just two bob;
When men would work and say with pride
     that they weren’t on the dole;
T’was then that politicians came
     to play an active role.

“We must unite,” the statesmen said
     “in case we have to fight;
We need a central government
     to maximise our might.
We’re all Australians too, you see,
     not rough colonial folk;
We need a sign to show the world
     this nation is no joke.”

“We’ll plan a grand new Commonwealth
     of which we can be proud;
We’ll build a national capital
     with lakes and parks endowed;
For no expense can be too much
     with national pride at stake;
Our children will recall with thanks,
     we did it for their sake.”

They confiscated men and tools
     to build themselves a home;
It started with a gabbing place
     where useful flocks once roamed.
They capped the hills with monuments
     and manicured the grounds
And the quarters of their servants
     spoilt the land for miles around.
Then their horde of tax collectors
     spread like locusts through the land,
And their rules and regulations
     drained the cash to lawyers’ hands.
The courts became political
     (mere creatures of the State)
The rule of law and common sense
     became quite out-of-date.

The people then grew restless
     at this cross they had to bear;
“It’s time for us to question
     if this road leads anywhere.
What should have been our watch dog
     sitting quietly by the gate
Is in the house and now he snarls
     if we don’t fill his plate.”

“We must dismiss the traitors
     who have got us in this mess;
The federation must return
     to things it can do best.
Defence is what we hired them for
     not meddling in our lives;
If they protect, while we produce
     a new dawn will arrive.”

9. “The Spectator”

Are you down among the players when the game gets really rough?
Are you standing for the victim when the bullyboys get tough?
When the herd-men bay in unison, is yours the “No” we hear,
Or are you in the grandstand with your esky full of beer?

When a modern-day dictator says your life belongs to him,
Do you risk your safe position by not bowing to his whim?
Do you laugh at mass opinion when you know that it is wrong,
Or do you think that truth is learned by listening to the throng?

When “democrats” are shouting that you can’t tell right from wrong,
When the law depends on circumstance and bends before the strong,
When “National Interest” demagogues are ranting in the street,
Is yours the one dissenting voice, or are you hiding from the heat?

Is your name among the builders when they write the book of life?
Would you be called a helper when your friends are having strife?
When your child is seeking guidance, are your answers straight and clear,
Or do you say “Please count me out, I’m needed over here?”

Do you believe the state cocoon that binds men till they die
Is just a crutch that keeps them weak and pays them not to try?
Will people say “At least he tried” when someone shoves the knife,
Or are you just a viewer at the silver screen of life?

10. “He showed the way”

When tariffs have been slaughtered
And the quotas are all gone.
When all the feather beds have sunk
And taxes have been shorn.
When Eccles runs the Treasury
And free trade rules the waves.
‘Tis then we’ll say, with gratitude —
“‘Twas Bert who showed the way”.
[I don’t know where and when many of those poems were first published, but the last one is found in: Viv Forbes, “He showed the way,” Trim: The Journal of Tax Payers United, issue no. 19, June 1988. The “Bert” in the poem is Bert Kelly.]