Joh Bjelke-Petersen

The Honourable Sir Johannes Bjelke-Petersen, KCMG (13 January, 1911 - 23 April 2005) was an Australian politician who was Premier of the state of Queensland from 1968 to 1987, the state's longest serving Premier. His populist and authoritarian style made an indelible impact both within Queensland and elsewhere within Australia.

Downfall

Sir Joh's run of dominance came to an end in the late 1980s, when investigative reporting by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation program Four Corners brought to light evidence of widespread corruption in both the Queensland Police force and the National Party government. Allegations raised in the programme, The Moonlight State, prompted acting Premier Bill Gunn to call an inquiry while the Premier was away. It was clear that Bjelke-Petersen opposed the introduction of an inquiry, and his biographers have asserted that had he not been out of the state, the inquiry would never have been introduced.

Related Topics:
1980s - Investigative reporting - Australian Broadcasting Corporation - Four Corners - Queensland Police - Bill Gunn

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The two-year-long Commission of Inquiry into "Possible Illegal Activities and Associated Police Misconduct", chaired by barrister Tony Fitzgerald (the Fitzgerald Inquiry), led eventually to the Police Commissioner and several government ministers being convicted for corruption and sentenced to prison terms. At his appearances before the Inquiry, Sir Joh's standing was damaged when he displayed his ignorance of concepts such as the separation of powers doctrine. Sir Joh himself would ultimately be prosecuted for perjury in 1991, but following a hung jury (claimed to be due to the jury foreman, a former National Party member) the prosecution declined to proceed with a retrial and the matter was dropped.

Related Topics:
Tony Fitzgerald - Fitzgerald Inquiry - Separation of powers - Perjury - 1991 - Hung jury

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As these events unfolded, Sir Joh made an extraordinary political move, launching a campaign for the Prime Ministership, working against the Nationals' usual coalition partner, the Liberal Party (under the leadership of John Howard). The Joh for Canberra campaign was of significant benefit to the incumbent Labor Prime Minister, Bob Hawke. State Secretary of the Labor Party, Peter Beattie remarked "we couldn't have done it without Joh".

Related Topics:
Prime Ministership - Liberal Party - John Howard - Joh for Canberra - Bob Hawke - Peter Beattie

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Sir Joh's decline in political standing prompted fierce conflict between his supporters and his detractors within the Nationals' partyroom. Sir Robert Sparkes, the Secretary of the Queensland Nationals, who for decades had been Sir Joh's influential sponsor, withdrew his support and the two became enemies. When in late 1987 he announced government support for construction of the "world's tallest building" in Brisbane, a pet project of a member of the "white shoe brigade", a number of ministers strongly protested. Sir Joh then met with State Governor Sir Walter Campbell in an effort to purge the dissenters from Cabinet. After a period of negotiation, Sir Walter consented to sacking three ministers on 24 November.

Related Topics:
1987 - Brisbane - State Governor - Sir Walter Campbell - 24 November

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Sir Joh denied his National Party opponents the opportunity to confront him by refusing to call a party meeting. Eventually, the organisational wing of the Party intervened and called one for 26 November. Sir Joh's request that Nationals MP's join him in a boycott went unheeded, and at the meeting Sir Joh was deposed as National Party leader by Mike Ahern, one of the ministers he had sacked.

Related Topics:
26 November - Mike Ahern

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Sir Joh refused to resign as Premier and sullenly retreated to his office on George Street. The stand-off was resolved after a period of negotiation on 1 December, when Sir Joh announced he had no interest in leading the Nationals anymore because they were not the party they once were, and resigned as Premier and from Parliament. In the subsequent by-election for his seat, he ensured that a radical right-wing independent was successful. He worked openly to destabilise the Nationals leadership and at the next election Labor returned to office after 32 years in opposition.

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