Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen KCMG
31st Premier of Queensland
In office 8 August 1968 – 1 December 1987
Preceded by	Gordon Chalk
Succeeded by	Mike Ahern
Born	January 13, 1911(1911-01-13) Dannevirke, New Zealand
Died	April 23, 2005 (aged 94) Kingaroy, Queensland, Australia
Political party	Country/National Party of Australia
Spouse	Flo Bjelke-Petersen
Religion	Christian-Lutheran

Sir Johannes "Joh" Bjelke-Petersen, KCMG (13 January 1911 – 23 April 2005), New Zealand-born Australian politician, was the longest-serving and longest-lived Premier of the state of Queensland. The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George Prince Regent (later George See Premiers of the Australian states for a description and history of the office of Premier Events 1220 - Sweden is defeated by Estonian tribes in the Battle of Lihula. Year 1968 ( MCMLXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 800 - Charlemagne judges the accusations against Pope Leo III in the Vatican Year 1987 ( MCMLXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar) Sir Gordon William Wesley Chalk KBE ( 16 May 1913 - 26 April 1991) was Premier of Queensland for a week Michael John Ahern AO (born 2 June 1942) is a former Queensland National Party politician who was Premier of Queensland Events 532 - Nika riots in Constantinople. 888 - Odo Count of Paris becomes King of the Franks Year 1911 ( MCMXI) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Dannevirke ( Danish: "Danish creation" or "Danes' work" is a rural service town in the Manawatu-Wanganui area of New Zealand. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island Events 215 BC - A temple is built on the Capitoline Hill dedicated to Venus Erycina to commemorate the Roman defeat at Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Kingaroy is an agricultural town in Queensland, Australia, approximately 209 kilometres or about 2 Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern corner of the mainland continent For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. The National Party of Australia is an Australian political party. Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the teachings of the sixteenth-century German reformer Martin Luther The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George Prince Regent (later George Events 532 - Nika riots in Constantinople. 888 - Odo Count of Paris becomes King of the Franks Year 1911 ( MCMXI) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Events 215 BC - A temple is built on the Capitoline Hill dedicated to Venus Erycina to commemorate the Roman defeat at Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. A politician (from Greek " Polis " is an individual who is involved in influencing public decision making through the influence of Politics or a person See Premiers of the Australian states for a description and history of the office of Premier Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern corner of the mainland continent He held office from 1968 to 1987, a period that saw considerable economic development in the state. His uncompromising conservatism (including his role within the downfall of the Whitlam federal government), his political longevity, and his leadership of a government that, in its latter years, was revealed to be institutionally corrupt, made him one of the best-known political figures in twentieth-century Australia. Conservatism is a term used to describe political philosophies that favour Tradition, where tradition refers to various religious cultural or nationally defined

Early life

Bjelke-Petersen was born in Dannevirke in the Southern Hawke's Bay region of New Zealand, and lived in Waipukurau, a small town in Hawke's Bay. Dannevirke ( Danish: "Danish creation" or "Danes' work" is a rural service town in the Manawatu-Wanganui area of New Zealand. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island Waipukurau is the largest town in the Central Hawke's Bay District on the east coast of the North Island of New Zealand. Geography The region is situated on the east coast of the North Island. Bjelke-Petersen's parents were both Danish immigrants, and his father, Carl, was a Lutheran pastor. The Kingdom of Denmark ( ˈd̥ænmɑɡ̊ (archaic ˈd̥anmɑːɡ̊ commonly known as Denmark, is a country in the Scandinavian region of northern Europe Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the teachings of the sixteenth-century German reformer Martin Luther A pastor is an official person within a Protestant group of people and related to the positions of Priest or Bishop within the Anglican, Roman Catholic In 1913 the family left for Australia, moving to Kingaroy in south-eastern Queensland and taking up dairy farming. Year 1913 ( MCMXIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Kingaroy is an agricultural town in Queensland, Australia, approximately 209 kilometres or about 2 Dairy farming is a class of agricultural, or an Animal husbandry enterprise for long-term production of Milk, which may be either processed on-site or

The young Johannes suffered from polio, leaving him with a life-long limp. Poliomyelitis, often called polio or infantile paralysis, is an acute viral Infectious disease spread from person to person primarily via The family was poor, and Carl Bjelke-Petersen was frequently in poor health. Johannes and his mother Maren worked on the farm. Imbued with the strongly pietistic Lutheranism associated with the Danish immigrants of the area, Johannes was somewhat resentful of both his father and elder brother, whose sickliness and academic leanings meant that they left much of the work to him. Pietism was a movement within Lutheranism, lasting from the late 17th century to the mid-18th century and later Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the teachings of the sixteenth-century German reformer Martin Luther Biographer James Walter has suggested that this resentment would feed Johannes' anti-intellectual tendencies in later life. Anti-intellectualism describes a sentiment of hostility towards or mistrust of Intellectuals and Intellectual pursuits

In 1933, Bjelke-Petersen began work on the family's newly-acquired second property at land-clearing and peanut farming. His efforts eventually allowed him to begin work as a contract land-clearer (using a tax deduction then allowable to primary producers), and to acquire further capital which he invested in farm equipment and natural resource exploration. He developed a technique for quickly clearing scrub by connecting a heavy anchor chain between two bulldozers. By the time he entered Parliament, he had built a thriving business.

Under sponsorship from Sir Charles Adermann and Sir Francis Nicklin, he was elected as Country Party member for Nanango in the Queensland Legislative Assembly in 1946 (from 1950 to 1987 he was member for Barambah). Sir Charles Frederick Adermann KBE ( 3 August 1896 - 9 May 1979) was an Australian federal politician and government minister Sir George Francis Reuben Nicklin KCMG, MM ( 6 August 1895 - 29 January 1978) was Premier of the Australian The National Party of Australia is an Australian political party. The division of Nanango is an electoral division in the state of Queensland, Australia. The Queensland Legislative Assembly is the Unicameral chamber of the Parliament of Queensland. The Australian Labor Party (ALP) had held power in Queensland since 1932 and Bjelke-Petersen spent eleven years as an Opposition member.

Rise to power

In 1957, following a split in the Labor Party, the Country Party under Nicklin came to power, with the Liberal Party as a junior coalition partner. The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party. In the same year, Bjelke-Petersen married Florence Gilmour, who was later to become a significant political figure in her own right. Bjelke-Petersen became one of Nicklin's cabinet ministers in 1963 and held office until 1968; Nicklin retired in January of that year. Jack Pizzey, Nicklin's successor both as Premier and as Country Party leader, died unexpectedly within seven months of assuming office. Jack Charles Allan Pizzey ( 2 February 1911 - 31 July 1968) was a Queensland Country Party politician In the election for leadership of the Country Party, Bjelke-Petersen won. He became Premier on 8 August 1968. Events 1220 - Sweden is defeated by Estonian tribes in the Battle of Lihula. Year 1968 ( MCMLXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. (During the interval between Pizzey's death and Bjelke-Petersen's accession, the premiership was held by the Liberals' leader, Sir Gordon Chalk. Sir Gordon William Wesley Chalk KBE ( 16 May 1913 - 26 April 1991) was Premier of Queensland for a week ) At this stage Bjelke-Petersen was still not very well known even to most Queenslanders, let alone outside the State.

Bjelke-Petersen's administration was kept in power by an electoral malapportionment where rural votes were given greater power than those in city areas. This article deals with elections to the Australian Parliament. This system was originally introduced by the Labor Party in 1949 as an overt electoral fix. Under Nicklin the bias in favour of rural constituencies was maintained. In 1972 Sir Joh strengthened the system to favour his own party, which led to his opponents referring to it as the "Bjelke-mander", a play on the term "gerrymander". The Bjelkemander was the term given to a system of Malapportionment in the Australian State of Queensland in the 1970s and 1980s Gerrymandering is a form of redistribution in which electoral district or Constituency boundaries are manipulated for electoral advantage Although Bjelke-Petersen's 1972 redistributions occasionally had elements of "gerrymandering" in the strict sense, their perceived unfairness had more to do with malapportionment whereby certain areas (normally rural) are simply granted more representation than their population would dictate if electorates contained equal numbers of voters (or population). Year 1972 ( MCMLXXII) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Apportionment is the process of allocating political power among a set of principles (or defined constituencies The lack of a state upper house (since its abolition in 1922) allowed executive decisions to be swiftly implemented, yet also meant there were no "checks and balances" applied to the decisions of the lower house. An upper house is one of two chambers of a Bicameral Legislature, the other chamber being the Lower house.

With Labor weak and chronically divided in Queensland throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Bjelke-Petersen won a series of election victories, often at the expense of his Liberal coalition partners as much as Labor. Typically the Country Party would gain fewer votes than either Labor or Liberal, but those votes would be spread out across the many rural electorates, giving the Country Party more seats than the Liberals and thus making them the senior coalition partner. Together they had more seats in Parliament than Labor, allowing Bjelke-Petersen to govern as Premier of a State in which his party received only 20% of the votes (using the figures for the 1972 election).

Queensland under Bjelke-Petersen

State development

Bjelke-Petersen abolished state duties on deceased estates (inheritance taxes), leading to a steady flow of retired people moving from the southern states of Victoria and New South Wales to Queensland, particularly the Gold Coast. Estate tax and Death duty redirect here Inheritance tax, estate tax and death duty are the names given to various taxes which Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern corner of the mainland continent This article is about the Australian city Gold Coast For other uses see Gold Coast. All other Australian states and territories had abolished this tax by 1981 in attempt to stem the flow of people to Queensland. The rapid rise in population in the Gold Coast, Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast led to a building boom that has lasted for three decades. The Sunshine Coast (population 290645 with up to an additional 50000 in visitors and seasonal workers is a coastal region located in South East Queensland, north of the

The development boom was particularly noticeable in the tourist area of the Gold Coast, where developers were vigorously encouraged in a heady entrepreneurial environment. Environmental restrictions on planning were virtually unknown and high-rise apartment blocks flourished in the once sleepy seaside towns. A high-rise is a tall Building or structure Normally the function of the building is added for example high-rise Apartment building or The Bjelke-Petersen government worked closely with a clique of influential property developers, known derisively as "the white shoe brigade", to construct resorts, hotels, a casino and a system of residential developments built beside canals dredged through wetlands on the Gold Coast. A casino is in the modern sense of the word a facility that houses and accommodates certain types of Gambling activities

Interior of Cloudland Dance Hall

Considerable development of the state's infrastructure took place during the Bjelke-Petersen era. Airports, coal mines, power stations, and dams were built throughout the state. James Cook University was established. James Cook University (JCU is a Public University based in Townsville Queensland, Australia and was proclaimed on 20 April In Brisbane, the Queensland Cultural Centre, Griffith University, the South East Freeway, and the Captain Cook, Gateway and Merivale bridges were all constructed, as well as the Parliamentary Annexe that was attached to Queensland Parliament House. Brisbane ( is the state capital of Queensland. Brisbane is the third most populous city in Australia and the most populous city of Queensland The Queensland Cultural Centre is a multi-venue arts centre designed by Australian architect Robin Gibson at South Bank, in Brisbane, and consists of the Queensland Griffith University is a public university based in Brisbane and on the Gold Coast Queensland, Australia. Pacific Highway (Australia|Riverside Expressway The Pacific Motorway is a 110 km long Motorway in Australia between Brisbane, Queensland The Captain Cook Bridge is the third crossing of the Brisbane River. The Merivale Bridge is the seventh crossing of the Brisbane River. Brisbane landmarks, such as the Bellevue Hotel and the Cloudland dance hall, were subject to demolition by the Deen Brothers demolition company, in the early hours of the morning, to make way for new developments. Originally called "Luna Park" Cloudland Dance Hall was a famous Brisbane entertainment venue located in Bowen Hills.

Relations with the media

Bjelke-Petersen was remarkably successful at controlling media coverage, using paid-for advertorials on commercial networks and fobbing off journalists with irrelevant non-answers in a performance he called "feeding the chooks".

His Government dominated Parliament, not allowing committees or impartial speech, and ran a very sophisticated media operation, sending press releases out right on deadline so journalists had very little chance to research news items. ^[1]

Journalists covering industrial disputes and picketing, were afraid of arrest. In 1985, the Australian Journalists Association withdrew from the system of police passes because of police refusal to accredit certain journalists. Some journalists experienced police harassment. ^[2]

A number of times Bjelke Petersen responded to unfavourable media coverage by using government resources to sue for defamation. Queensland historian, Ross Fitzgerald was threatened with criminal libel when he sought to publish a critical history. Ross Fitzgerald is an Australian historian novelist and political commentator ^[3]

In 1989, the Australian Broadcasting Tribunal, found that in 1986 Bjelke-Petersen had placed then Channel 9 owner Alan Bond in a position of 'commercial blackmail' when Bond improperly agreed to pay $400,000 as an out-of-court defamation settlement. Alan Bond may refer to Alan Bond (businessman (born 1938 Alan Bond (rocket developer (born 1944 Alan M ^[4]

Joh's catchphrase answer to unwelcome queries, "Don't you worry about that," was widely parodied.

Civil liberties and political protest

The Bjelke-Petersen government sought to make political capital with its hardline approach against protest and industrial action. Police violence was witnessed against demonstrators at the University of Queensland, which was a haven for anti-Bjelke-Petersen sentiment. The University of Queensland (UQ is one of Australia's premier learning and research institutions ^[5] A decision by this University's Senate to award him an honorary doctorate of laws brought about criticisms from both students and staff. Doctor of Laws ( Latin: Legum Doctor, LLD) is a Doctorate -level Academic degree in Law. Leading Queensland poet, Judith Wright, returned her own honorary Doctorate, in a personal protest. Judith Arundell Wright ( 31 May 1915 &mdash 26 June 2000) was an Australian Poet, Environmentalist and campaigner ^[6]

The 1971 Springbok tour by the South Africa national rugby union team sparked nation-wide demonstrations by supporters of the still imprisoned black African leader, Nelson Mandela. The South Africa national Rugby union team (commonly referred to as the Springboks in English Springbokke in Afrikaans and Amabokoboko Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (xolíɬaɬa mandéːla born 18 July 1918 is a former President of South Africa, the first to be elected in fully representative Bjelke-Petersen declared a state of emergency to suppress public protests. A state of emergency is a governmental declaration that may suspend certain normal functions of government alert citizens to alter their normal behaviors or order government agencies Doug Anthony, a former National Party Deputy Prime Minister, said Bjelke-Petersen's support for South Africa's apartheid regime, in direct defiance of the Fraser Government's stance, showed him as "unreasonable, selfish and un-Christian". John Douglas Anthony, AC, CH (born 31 December 1929 was an Australian politician ^[7] However to Joh, street marchers were a menace who clogged up traffic, caused distress to pedestrians, motorists and shop keepers and were mainly made up of grubby left wing students, Anarchists, professional agitators and trade union activists. ^[8] The government transferred 450 police from country areas to suppress demonstrations. ^[9] Future Queensland Premier Peter Beattie, then a student protestor, witnessed police violently attacking peaceful demonstrators, including women. Peter Douglas Beattie (born 18 November 1952) Australian politician was the 36th Premier of the Australian state of Queensland ^[10] Brisbane aboriginal activist, Sam Watson claimed the police wanted to "smash and cripple and destroy". Sam Watson (born 1952 is an Australian Aboriginal activist and a Socialist Politician. ^[11] Bjelke-Petersen praised police conduct during the demonstrations and awarded them an extra day's leave, as a mark of thanks. ^[12]

Bjelke-Petersen cultivated a close relationship with factions within the police service, often at the expense of the relevant Minister for Police. In 1976, after attempting to initiate inquiries into police violence and reform the police force, Police Commissioner Ray Whitrod resigned, alleging interference by Bjelke-Petersen with his position. Bjelke-Petersen had him replaced as Commissioner by the relatively junior Terry Lewis, who worked closely and directly with Bjelke-Petersen on a wide variety of matters, and who would later be revealed to be corrupt by the Fitzgerald Inquiry. Terence Murray "Terry" Lewis (born 29 February 1928 previously Sir Terry Lewis OBE GM QPM, is a former Queensland, The Fitzgerald Inquiry into Queensland Police corruption was a judicial inquiry presided over by Tony Fitzgerald QC.

Extensive Special Branch monitoring (including telephone tapping) of suspected subversives was routine; among its targets were not only student activists, unionists and Labor Party parliamentarians, but also coalition figures who had incurred Bjelke-Petersen's displeasure. Wiretap redirects here For the radio program see WireTap (radio program Telephone tapping (or wire tapping / wiretapping in Peter Beattie said that, ". Peter Douglas Beattie (born 18 November 1952) Australian politician was the 36th Premier of the Australian state of Queensland . . if you went to a protest there was always photos being taken". "You know, you'd always pose to get your best side. (Laughs) And they had a dossier on everybody," Beattie said. ^[13] Following the Springbok tour, Don Lane, a former member of the Special Branch, was elected to parliament, campaigning for Law and Order. Donald Frederick Lane (1935- March 11[[ 995]] was a Minister of Transport in the Bjelke-Petersen state of Queensland 's coalition government

In 1977, Bjelke Petersen decided to ban street marches altogether. Seven Liberal parliamentarians crossed the floor defending the right of association and assembly. ^[14] One of the Liberals, Colin Lamont, told a meeting at University of Queensland that the Premier was engineering confrontation for electoral purposes. "Two hours later, he (Bjelke Petersen) lunged at me across the floor of Parliament, waving a tape recorder and spluttered, 'I’ve heard every word. You are a traitor to this Government'," Lamont wrote later. Lamont said he learned the Special Branch had been keeping files on Liberal rebels and reporting, not to their Commissioner, but directly to the Premier. "The police state had arrived*," Lamont said. ^[15]

The Uniting Church synod passed a resolution requesting "Queensland heads of churches to mediate between the State government and student and civil liberties groups to achieve better ways of expressing their differences. The Uniting Church in Australia ( UCA) was formed on June 22 1977 when many congregations of the Methodist Church of Australasia, " Sir Joh replied, "If churches want to consort with atheists and communists dedicated to the elimination of religion, that is their problem. " ^[16]

Bjelke-Petersen often accused political opponents of being covert communists bent on anarchy. Communism is a Socioeconomic structure that promotes the establishment of an egalitarian, classless, stateless Society based "I have always found . . . you can campaign on anything you like but nothing is more effective than communism," he said. "If he's a Labor man, he's a socialist and a very dangerous man. "^[17] His rhetoric may have been ridiculed in the national media but it proved highly effective among conservative and rural voters who enjoyed disproportionate political influence, thanks to the gerrymander.

Aboriginal people

In June 1976, Bjelke-Petersen blocked the proposed sale of a pastoral property on the Cape York Peninsula to a group of Aboriginal people, because according to cabinet policy, "The Queensland Government does not view favourably proposals to acquire large areas of additional freehold or leasehold land for development by Aborigines or Aboriginal groups in isolation. This article is about the peninsula located in the Australian state of Queensland; it should not be confused with either Yorke Peninsula in South Australia Indigenous Australians are descendants of the first known human inhabitants of the Australian continent and its nearby islands. " ^[18]. This dispute resulted in the case of Koowarta v Bjelke-Petersen, which was decided partly in the High Court in 1982, and partly in the Supreme Court of Queensland in 1988. Koowarta v Bjelke-Petersen was a significant Court case decided in the High Court of Australia on May 11 1982. The High Court of Australia is the final court of appeal in Australia the highest court in the Australian court hierarchy. The Supreme Court of Queensland, which is based at the Law Courts Complex, is the superior Court for the Australian State of Queensland The courts found that Bjelke-Petersen's policy had discriminated against Aboriginal people.

Also in 1976, Bjelke Petersen evicted a team treating trachoma, led by Fred Hollows from state controlled aboriginal land. Trachoma ( Ancient Greek: "rough eye" is an infectious eye disease and the leading cause of the world's infectious blindness Frederick (Fred Cossom Hollows, AC (born April 9 1929 in Dunedin, New Zealand &ndash died February 10 1993 Bjelke Petersen claimed that Hollows' team had been encouraging aborigines to enroll to vote. ^[19]In his visits to northern communities, Fred Hollows was accompanied by two respected Aboriginal spokesmen and civil rights activists, Mick Miller and Clarrie Groggan. With an election looming, and keen to shut down this source of independent information, the Premier simply ejected Hollows' team. Electoral office data refuting his claims that there had been a rush of voter enrolments in the wake of the trachoma team, was not released for public consumption. ^[20]

In 1978, the newly-formed Uniting Church became involved in a struggle between the rights of Aborigines at Aurukun and Mornington Island (former Presbyterian missions) and the Queensland Government, which was anxious to allow mining to proceed. The Uniting Church in Australia ( UCA) was formed on June 22 1977 when many congregations of the Methodist Church of Australasia, Bjelke-Petersen granted a 1,900 square kilometre mining lease to a mining consortium under extremely favourable conditions. With support from the church, the Aurukun people challenged the legislation, eventually winning their case in the Queensland Supreme Court. But they ultimately lost it when the Queensland Government appealed to the Privy Council in England. ^[21]

Cheryl Buchanan, chairwoman of the Kooma Traditional Owners Association said it was difficult now for people to accept how different things were in Queensland for Aboriginal people in the 1960s and 1970s. "We got raped by police in those days and couldn't do anything about it. They were the SS. The police would pick us up on a regular basis because they knew who we all were, and they'd take us out the back of Samford and harass us and push us around for hours," Buchanon said. ^[22]

Aboriginal activist Sam Watson said: "Aboriginal people will always remember him [Bjelke Petersen] as a racist, a thug and a dictator. "^[23]

Role in the Whitlam dismissal

In 1975 Bjelke-Petersen played what later turned out to be a key role in the political crisis which brought down the federal Labor government of Gough Whitlam, who referred to Bjelke-Petersen as "that Bible-bashing bastard, Bjelke". Edward Gough Whitlam, AC, QC (born 11 July 1916 known as Gough Whitlam (ˈɡɒf goff is an Australian former politician and 21st Etymology According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word bible is from Latin biblia, traced from the same word through Medieval Latin and Late Latin Whitlam's government did not have control of the Senate, whose members are elected as representatives of the individual states. The Senate is the upper of the two houses of the Parliament of Australia. The Commonwealth of Australia is made up of 8 states and territories controlled under a federal system of government Senators are normally elected directly, but if a Senate position becomes vacant, a replacement is appointed by the relevant State Governor. The Governors of the Australian states are the representatives in the six states of Australia of Australia's monarch Queen Elizabeth II. State Governors are also responsible for the issue of writs for elections to the Senate. In Law, a writ is a formal written order issued by a body with administrative or judicial Jurisdiction. Bjelke-Petersen twice used these practices to thwart Whitlam's attempts to gain control of the Senate.

In 1974, Whitlam had approached former Queensland Premier and then Senator for the Democratic Labor Party, Vince Gair, with the offer as a job as ambassador to Ireland as a way of creating an extra vacant Senate position in Queensland that Whitlam hoped would be won by his Labor Party. This article is about the current Australian political party founded after the dissolution of the original DLP Vincent Clair Gair ( 25 February, 1901 &ndash 11 November, 1980) was an Australian Politician. Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world When this arrangement became public, Bjelke-Petersen advised the Governor Sir Colin Hannah, to issue writs for five, rather than six, vacancies, denying Labor the chance of gaining Gair's Senate spot. Air Marshal Sir Colin Thomas Hannah KCMG, KCVO, KBE, CB (22 December 1914 - 22 May 1978 was a senior officer within the Royal

The convention in filling Senate vacancies since 1949 had been that the State Parliament would appoint the nominee of the former Senator's political party. When Labor Senator Bertie Milliner died, Bjelke-Petersen rejected Labor's nominee to fill the vacancy, Mal Colston, and instead asked for a short list of three nominees, from which he would pick one. Dr Malcolm Arthur Colston (5 April 1938 &ndash 23 August 2003 Australian Politician, was a Senator in the Parliament of Australia representing When the ALP refused to supply such a list, Bjelke-Petersen appointed Albert Field, an ALP member who was critical of the Whitlam government. Albert Patrick Field (11 October 1910 - 1 July 1990 was an Australian French polisher who was plucked from obscurity to become a Senator in 1975 The ALP tried to block the appointment by expelling Field, and announcing that it would expel anyone else who would accept the appointment in Colston's place, but Bjelke-Petersen went ahead with the appointment anyway.

Field's appointment was the subject of a High Court challenge and he took leave in late 1975. During this period, the Coalition led by Malcolm Fraser refused to allot a pair to balance Field's absence. John Malcolm Fraser, AC, CH (born 21 May 1930 is an Australian Liberal politician who was the 22nd Prime Minister of Australia. Pairing is a system whereby two Members of parliament from opposing political parties may agree to abstain where one member is unable to vote due to other commitments illness This gave the Coalition control over the Senate. Fraser used this control to prevent passage of the Supply Bills through Parliament, denying Whitlam's then-unpopular government the legal capacity to appropriate funds for government business and leading to his dismissal as Prime Minister. Loss of supply occurs where a government in a Parliamentary democracy using the Westminster System or a system derived from it is denied a supply of treasury or exchequer

During the tumultuous election campaign precipitated by Whitlam's dismissal by Sir John Kerr, Bjelke-Petersen alleged that Queensland police investigations had uncovered damaging documentation in relation to the Loans Affair. John Kerr may refer to one of the following Government and politics John Kerr (Governor-General (1914&ndash1991 Australian Governor-General The Loans Affair, also called the Khemlani Affair, is the name given to the political scandal involving the Whitlam Government of Australia in 1975 in This documentation was never made public and these allegations remained unsubstantiated.

Break-up of the coalition

In 1975, facing the declining population of its rural base, the Country Party changed its name to the National Country Party (later the National Party) and began contesting metropolitan seats against its coalition partner, the Liberals. In August 1983 Terry White, a Liberal minister, joined backbench colleagues crossing the floor to vote against the government in Parliament. In Politics, crossing the floor is to vote against party lines especially where this is considered unusual or controversial The Liberal leader, Dr Llew Edwards, asked White to resign as a Minister but instead White successfully challenged him for leadership of the Liberal Party. Bjelke-Petersen refused to work with White as Deputy Premier and as a result the coalition agreement was broken off. At the 1983 state election, the intensely divided Liberals suffered a heavy loss of seats and after the defection of two Liberals, Don Lane and Brian Austin, the Nationals gained a majority in their own right. Donald Frederick Lane (1935- March 11[[ 995]] was a Minister of Transport in the Bjelke-Petersen state of Queensland 's coalition government Brian Austin was a Queensland politician and Minister of Health from 1980 to 1983 who represented the seat of Wavell for the Liberal Party.

In 1984, on the recommendation of his own government, Bjelke-Petersen was created a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George, for "services to parliamentary democracy". The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George Prince Regent (later George He was then generally known as "Sir Joh" (rather than "Sir Johannes"), and his wife generally (if incorrectly) known as "Lady Flo. "

In 1985 a protracted industrial dispute with state-employed (SEQEB) electricity workers over superannuation entitlements resulted in a strike and the government's introduction of severe anti-striking legislation, justified by Bjelke-Petersen on the basis of the need to secure continued power supplies. The strike was eventually defeated, causing a great deal of bitterness among unionists.

Downfall

"Joh for Canberra"

In 1987 Bjelke-Petersen 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 Prime Minister of Australia is the Head of government of the Commonwealth of Australia, holding office on commission from the Governor-General. The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party. See also Howard Government John Winston Howard AC (born 26 July 1939 was the 25th Prime Minister of Australia from 11 March The "Joh for Canberra" campaign, abandoned after it became clear that there was no prospect of success, was a significant factor in the victory of incumbent Labor Prime Minister, Bob Hawke. The Joh for Canberra or Joh for PM campaign was the 1987 attempt by the Queensland branch of the National Party of Australia to install Queensland Robert James Lee (Bob Hawke, AC (born 9 December 1929 was the 23rd Prime Minister of Australia and longest serving Australian Labor Party Prime Minister The State Secretary of the Labor Party (and later Queensland Premier), Peter Beattie remarked "we couldn't have done it without Joh". Peter Douglas Beattie (born 18 November 1952) Australian politician was the 36th Premier of the Australian state of Queensland

Fitzgerald Inquiry

Also in 1987, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation investigative journalism program Four Corners aired an episode entitled "The Moonlight State" alleging high-level corruption in the Queensland Police, including the receipt of bribes from owners of illegal brothels. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly abbreviated to the 'ABC' is Australia's national public broadcaster. Investigative journalism is a type of reporting in which reporters deeply investigate a topic of interest often involving crime Political corruption, or some other Scandal Four Corners is Australia 's longest-running Investigative journalism / current affairs Television program The Queensland Police Service is the law enforcement agency responsible for policing the Australian state of Queensland. At the time the program aired, Bjelke-Petersen was involved in his aborted national political campaign and was outside Queensland.

In response to these allegations, Deputy Premier and Minister of Police Bill Gunn, who was serving as acting premier in Bjelke-Petersen's absence, announced an inquiry. William Angus Manson Gunn, known as Bill Gunn, (1920-2001 was elected to the Queensland Parliament in 1972 for the Seat of Somerset, representing the National It was clear that Bjelke-Petersen had always opposed any inquiry into the Queensland Police, and his biographers have asserted that had he not been out of the state, this inquiry would never have been held.

The two-year-long Commission of Inquiry into "Possible Illegal Activities and Associated Police Misconduct" was chaired by barrister Tony Fitzgerald and known as the Fitzgerald Inquiry. The Honourable Justice Gerald Edward Fitzgerald AC QC (born 26 November 1941) was an Australian judge The Fitzgerald Inquiry into Queensland Police corruption was a judicial inquiry presided over by Tony Fitzgerald QC. As it began, evidence of corruption was unearthed implicating not only Police Commissioner Terry Lewis, but also senior members and associates of the Bjelke-Petersen government. Terence Murray "Terry" Lewis (born 29 February 1928 previously Sir Terry Lewis OBE GM QPM, is a former Queensland, As a result of the inquiry, Lewis was tried, convicted, and jailed on corruption charges. He was later stripped of his knighthood and other honours. A number of other officials, including ministers Don Lane and Austin were also jailed. Donald Frederick Lane (1935- March 11[[ 995]] was a Minister of Transport in the Bjelke-Petersen state of Queensland 's coalition government Another former minister, Russ Hinze, died while awaiting trial. The Hon Russell James Hinze ( June 19, 1919 - June 29, 1991) born in Oxenford on the Gold Coast, was a Queensland

Bjelke-Petersen gave evidence before the Inquiry himself, denying all knowledge of any wrongdoing. His standing was damaged, however, by his inability to account for large sums of cash in his office safe and when he demonstrated his ignorance of the separation of powers, a basic principle of accountable government. Separation of powers, a term ascribed to French Enlightenment Political philosopher Baron de Montesquieu, is a model for the Governance

The Bjelke-Petersen government's decline in political standing prompted fierce conflict between his supporters and his detractors within the Nationals' partyroom. Sir Robert Sparkes, the State Secretary of the party, who for decades had been Bjelke-Petersen's influential sponsor, withdrew his support and the two became enemies. Sir Robert Lyndley Sparkes ( 31 May, 1929 - 6 August, 2006) was born in Dalby, Queensland, the son of Sir James Sparkes When in late 1987 Bjelke-Petersen 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. Bjelke-Petersen then met with State Governor Sir Walter Campbell in an effort to restructure his Cabinet and purge dissenters from the ministry. The Governor of Queensland is the representative in the state of Queensland of Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia. Sir Walter Benjamin Campbell AC, QC KStJ (4 March 1921 &ndash 4 September 2004 was a judge on the Supreme Court of Queensland, Chancellor of After a period of negotiation, Sir Walter agreed to sack three ministers.

Ouster

Bjelke-Petersen denied his National Party opponents the opportunity to confront him by refusing to call a meeting of the party's parliamentarians. Eventually, the organisational wing of the party intervened and called one. Bjelke-Petersen's request that Nationals MPs join him in a boycott went unheeded, and the meeting deposed him as National Party leader and elected in his place Mike Ahern, one of the ministers he had sacked. Michael John Ahern AO (born 2 June 1942) is a former Queensland National Party politician who was Premier of Queensland

Bjelke-Petersen refused to resign as Premier. The stand-off was resolved after a period of negotiation, when Bjelke-Petersen resigned as Premier. Bjelke-Petersen resigned on 1 December 1987 after spending time in his office destroying incriminating papers. Events 800 - Charlemagne judges the accusations against Pope Leo III in the Vatican Year 1987 ( MCMLXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar) ^[24]

In the subsequent by-election for his seat, he ensured that a radical right-wing independent rather than the Nationals' endorsed candidate was successful. He worked openly to destabilise the Nationals' leadership, and at the next election Labor returned to office after 32 years in opposition.

Joh's Corruption Trial

In 1991 Bjelke-Petersen faced criminal trial for perjury arising out of the evidence he had given to the Fitzgerald Inquiry (an earlier proposed charge of corruption was incorporated into the perjury charge). Perjury, also known as forswearing, is the act of lying or making verifiably false statements on a material matter under Oath or Affirmation in a Evidence was given to the perjury trial by Sir Joh's former police Special Branch bodyguard Sergeant Bob Carter that in 1986 he had twice been given packages of cash totalling $210,000 at Sir Joh's office. He was told to take them to a Brisbane city law firm and then watch as the money was deposited in a company bank account. The money had been given over by developer Sng Swee Lee, and the bank account was in the name of Kaldeal - operated by a trustee of the National Party, Edward Lyons. ^[25]

The jury in the case remained deadlocked. In 1992 it was revealed that the jury foreman, Luke Shaw, was a member of the Young Nationals and was identified with the "Friends of Joh" movement. ^[26]

The Director of Public Prosecutions elected not to proceed with a second trial. The Director of Public Prosecutions is the officer charged with the prosecution of criminal offences in several Criminal jurisdictions around the world In his advice to the government, tabled in parliament, Crown Solicitor Conrad Lohe not only recommended dismissing the claim, but said Sir Joh was "fortunate" not to have faced a second trial. ^[27]. ^[28]

Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen escaped conviction (the issue of prison would have been determined by a sentencing Judge if he had been found guilty) and the possible loss of his knighthood because his trial was aborted and the Prosecution were unable to obtain a guilty verdict. A key witness, Sng Swee Lee refused to return from Singapore for a retrial. However, one unproven estimate of Bjelke-Petersen's extortions was at least AU$6 million. ^[29]

In 2003, The Queensland government rejected a $353 million damages claim by Sir Joh Bjelke Petersen seeking compensation for loss of business opportunities resulting from the Fitzgerald inquiry. In his advice to the government, tabled in parliament, Crown Solicitor Conrad Lohe not only recommended dismissing the claim, but said Sir Joh was "fortunate" not to have faced a second trial. ^[30]. This comment, in itself, could be seen as indicating an ongoing prejudice towards Sir Joh by the Public Service of the day in a Labour controlled political environment and a presumption of guilty until proven innocent by the Legal fraternity of the time. .

Post-premiership

Despite the proven corruption of the Bjelke-Petersen government, Bjelke-Petersen remained a popular figure with rural conservatives in Queensland. Peter Beattie recognised his standing by appearing in photographs with him, extending government courtesies to him, and refraining from criticism. Bjelke-Petersen in turn praised his successor's good manners.

Bjelke-Petersen died in April 2005, with Lady Bjelke-Petersen and a number of other family members by his side. Bjelke-Petersen received a state funeral and is buried at his property "Bethany" at Kingaroy. Kingaroy is an agricultural town in Queensland, Australia, approximately 209 kilometres or about 2

References

• Deane Wells, The Deep North (1979) (Outback Press)

• Evan Whitton, "The Hillbilly Dictator", Australian Broadcasting Commission, 1989, ISBN 0 642 12809 X