Joh for Canberra

The Joh for Canberra or Joh for PM campaign was the 1987 attempt of the Queensland branch of the National Party of Australia to install Queensland Premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen as Prime Minister of Australia.

Related Topics:
Queensland - National Party of Australia - Premier - Joh Bjelke-Petersen - Prime Minister - Australia

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The campaign was planned some time before the federal elections due in 1987 were announced. When they were announced, Bjelke-Petersen had to shelve the campaign, as he was overseas at Disneyland at the time.

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The campaign was financed by a number of prominent Gold Coast property developers, sometimes known as the 'white shoe brigade', many of whom had benefitted from favourable treatment from the Bjelke-Petersen state government. Although many of the white shoe brigade had been successful in business, their ignorance of the realities of politics was their downfall. Joh's populist appeal did not reach into Sydney and Melbourne, Australia's two largest cities and home to close to half the Australian population, to any great extent. Bjelke-Petersen had no party base outside the Queensland National Party, and under Australia's Westminster system could not become Prime Minister without the support of the Liberal Party and other state branches of the National Party, which refused to grant it, and then only if they managed to win the 1987 election. Neither John Howard and Ian Sinclair, federal leaders of the Liberals and Nationals respectively, were prepared to accommodate Bjelke-Petersen. Although for a time Bjelke-Petersen looked to have the support of former Opposition Leader Andrew Peacock, and prominent National Farmers Federation President Ian McLachlan, this did not eventuate.

Related Topics:
Gold Coast - Sydney - Melbourne - Westminster system - John Howard - Ian Sinclair - Andrew Peacock - National Farmers Federation - Ian McLachlan

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Spectacularly misguided, it had the effect of splitting the federal Liberal-National Coalition and allowing the Labor Party government of Bob Hawke to win another term. The campaign weakened the conservative forces both nationally and within Queensland, and resulted in severe internal divisions within the Queensland branch of the National Party. Labor's federal electoral victory, reliant on gains of seats in Queensland, was attributed to the Joh for PM campaign: "We couldn't have done it without Joh", Labor Party state secretary Peter Beattie remarked.

Related Topics:
Liberal - National - Coalition - Labor Party - Bob Hawke - Queensland - Peter Beattie

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