Johannes Bjelke-Petersen

In virtually any state in the Commonwealth I believe you could ask an adult in their 40’s or above to name a state leader and the majority of them could name Joh – no other State Premier left such an indelible mark on the national psyche.

Some Queenslanders may talk about strong development and a long period of stability. Others, particularly those from southern states will talk of gerrymanders, corruption, white shoe brigades, civil liberty infringements or daylight savings. But many will talk of a man who oversaw perhaps the most dramatic and positive changes the State has ever undergone.

Whether loved or reviled, Johannes Bjelke-Petersen was a polarising figure, and an indisputably successful one. But too many are quick to dismiss this incredibly successful politician as an aberration of the oddity that is Queensland.

To understand Joh a little better, this monograph considers Joh’s period in office from the following perspectives:

• His success in moving the Country Party from a rural base to gaining and holding urban seats


• His role in assisting in the downfall of the Whitlam government


• His economic management, overseeing Queensland’s transition from a rural economy to a vibrant and rapidly expanding one and creating funding processes from which the State still benefits


• His masterful understanding of the mood of the electorate in dealing with the likes of power strikes, anti-Springbok riots or street marches


• His market fundamentalism which potentially allowed corruption in commercial activities for tangible benefits for the state