Bye Bye Joh
Joh Bjelke-Petersen, who died yesterday at 93, probably did more to mould my political views than any other politician.
The ruckus over Australia's involvement in Vietnam kicked off my political awareness, but I didn't really notice Joh until after the election of the Whitlam Labor government in 1972. Politics was a lively subject of discussion during family dinners. My (late) conservative father hated Whitlam with a passion and, not surprisingly, thought Joh was pretty good. I was rather apethetic about politics before then. The contrast of styles between Whitlam and Bjelke-Petersen started my thinking about where I stood politically.
The Whitlam years were a disturbing whirlwind of radical reform for an electorate used to the stupor of two decades of conservative government. Although introducing a string of overdue reforms and landmark pieces of legislation, the benefits of the reforms weren't immediately apparent to many people. At times, the government acted like a rabble and became increasing unpopular during Whitlam's second term.
Joh came into prominence at this when he ignored the long term political convention of filling Senate vacancies with a person of the same political party. When a vacancy was created in 1974 by the death of a Labor senator, Joh nominated Albert Field as his replacement instead of the Labor's nominated candidate, Mal Colston. With this appointment, the balance of power in the Senate was destroyed and scene set for the conservative parties to delay the passing of the supply bills and force an election.
Joh's role in the fall of the Whitlam government made him a conservative hero and brought him into national prominence. Although having little formal eduction, he was an astute politician, who, with the benefit of inept Labor opposition and an outrageous electoral gerrymander, introduced a raft of conservative social and economic measures that appealed to the ultra-conservative rump that formed his constituency.
In 1977, he introduced a ban on street marches, outlawing the fundamental political right of public assembly. He meddled in the running of the police force which resulted in the resignation of Police Commissioner Ray Whitford and the appointment of the corrupt Terry Lewis.
Joh's government had an unhealthy relationship with a raft of property developers. The term 'conflict of interest' was unknown.
Joh allowed corruption to flourish, a fact that was brought to the public's attention in 1987 when the ABC's Four Corners program aired the investigative report "The Moonlight State." Joh set up a commission chaired by Tony Fitzgerald to investigate the program's allegations. Fitzgerald's report would detail endemic corruption within the state's police force and government.
The fact that Joh set up the commission begs the question whether he realised that the corruption was happening. He certainly didn't understand the concept of 'the separation of powers.' I wonder if he knew the difference between 'corruption' and 'business as usual.'
Joh was pushed out of office by his own party in late 1987.
In 1991, Joh stood trial for perjury, but was not convicted due to a hung jury. The jury's decenter happened to be a former National Party member. He was never re-tried.
Joh was a cunning, unsophisticated, politically savvy yokel who allowed corruption to flourish, and was (probably) too close to notice it. His relentless championing of development at any cost, and his ruthless silencing of discent formed the basis of my dislike of the philosophy and methods of the conservative side of politics.
Joh's immunity from the will of the voters made me realise the danger of unicameral parliaments with no constitutional safeguards regulating the size and distribution of electorates.
To summarise, I didn't like him much. (Doh!)
Already, the sickening eulogies have started. There'll be a lot of rewriting of history by conservative commentators as they wax lyrical about the man and his achievements.
Bye bye Joh. I'm sorry for your family that you've gone. But what you stood for politically, I won't miss at all.
1 TrackBacks
Listed below are links to blogs that reference this entry: Bye Bye Joh.
TrackBack URL for this entry: http://www.thepigsareflying.org/cgi-bin/flyingpigs2/mt-tb.cgi/226
This interesting article appeared today:... Read More
10 Comments
Leave a comment
Post a comment
Note! This site runs a spam filter which, among other things, looks out for certain words which it uses to guess whether the post is junk. For this reason, avoid using words related to gambling, ie, poker, roulette, casino etc, or names of certain sexual performance enhancing drugs. Posts that contain these words are automatically junked.
It may also moderate comments that contain more than two URLs, including your web page URL.
If you get a message that your comment has been moderated, and it hasn't materialised within a day or so, please email me so I can retrieve it.
Banner Designed By:
Quote 'The fact that Joh set up the commission begs the question whether he realised that the corruption was happening.'
Actually the Royal Commission was signed up by Bill Gunn while Joh was overseas and Joh did everything he could to stop it or water down the terms of reference but failed and he had to let it run.
I first heard of Joh when, after arriving in Australia at Gladstone in 1977, 2 of us hitch-hiked down to Brisbane. We were picked up by 2 law students who had a sticker on the back of their camper van which read 'See Queensland First...(the current Q tourism slogan) ....before Joh sells it. So of course we asked what that meant....and we were told! In spades. By contrast I then went to work on a cattle station whose owners were the typical people for whom Joh was god. So I'd followed his career with interest from then on.
He only stayed in power for so long due to a very powerful gerrymander so there was little electoral ability to challenge him and no ability atall by any other means until his own party got fed up with the negative aspects and blatant evidence brought out by the Fitzgerald enquiry.
I knew a man who was with a pipeline company - they delivered a tender, by hand, to Joh's office and were later told that it had never been received. The contract went to a Korean company.
Final thing - If one more person refers to Lady Flo I shall scream - she isn't Lady 'Flo' and never will be and never could be. She is Lady Bjelke Peterson (and in my mind even that is dubious!)
Rant over
I wasn't aware that Joh didn't personally sign the commission into existance. I stand corrected on that point.
My father was somewhat against the Nationals and had won a bottle of "Bjelke-Bitter (For the Discriminating Drinker)" homebrew at a Campaign Against Nuclear Energy barbie (I was about 10 years old at the time). The promise was to drink the bottle when Bjelke-Peterson lost power.
The bottle was thrown out about 5 years later(Around 1985)...It had gone rotten in the bottle, a metaphor perhaps.
I'm surprised the bottle didn't explode.
Joh allowed corruption to happen ? This implies a sort of laissez faire or perhaps he was a naive yokel, but no ... he was collecting brown paper bags remember ?
He knew what was going on and profited from it
Your right Susanna ... Sue picked me up on much the same point.
The things in which you have said about Sir Joh are, I beleive a load of rubbish. First you talk about the so called Gerrymander which kept him in power but, lets not forget that it was the Goss Labor government which got into power under these same rules so the idea that he won because is stupid to say the least. A majority of Queenslanders wanted him and his collegues as the government and this cannot be logicaly disputed. The much debated SEQEB incident proves the might and talent of Bjelke-Peterson and his knowledge of what the people want. During the time that electricity workers were going on strike for such absurd things like shaded parking outside their buildings, what nonesence. They beleived they had some God given right to bring the entire south-east region to a stand still becuase they did not have a shaded car park, if this is the case then they deserve everything they got, what about the Dairy farmers who had to pour milk down the drain because they could not keep it cold. What about the pig producers that lost countless numbers of stock due to being unable to keep them warm. What about them or don't they matter?
The SEQEB battle was Joh's finnest hour and should be congratulated by anyone who was there. And of course the sad thing was the workers went back to work with less then what they had to start with. I do feel for the men who decided that killing themselves was the best way out and do take into account the sense of insercurity the others felt with no job. However the men and women on the land lost more in lost income and time then the workers of SEQEB ever did. These workers had the option of going back to work in which they did not take up. Typical Union thugery at its worst: Unions to the left and scabs to the right, how could anyone refuse to go along with the unionists when language like that is used.
Building up a state does not seem to count when dealing with socialists. Queensland went from cinderella state to a powerhouse under Joh, the dams, electrifed rail networks, infastructure and confidence in the private sector to name a few of the things he created for Queensland. This seems to count for very little when mad left wingers are told to stop stopping traffic with such stupid no-cause protests. Queenslanders right throughout the state were opposed to this and wanted Joh to stop it which he did. Example, when he banned streetmarches all the Liberal candidates dropped Joh from their photos and campaigns worrying about the fallout from this. But when the election came around, the Libs lost ground and the Nats made up for it by winning in their own right and by being returned.
The Fitzgerald Inquiry was supported by Joh in which he stated many times and he did not try to stop it, it would have been impossible. To start an inquiry you must first have the powers given to the commisioner from the government. If Joh was trying to stop the inquiry,why would he have given it such wide-rangeing and strong powers? In trying to dig up 'dirt' on Nationals ministers, police were sent to a Minister's son-in-laws roof and searched there which of course saw nothing. The fact remains that the Fitzgerald inquiry was a waste of money becuase all that was spent on Fitzgerald's waige and costs and to only come out with 4 ministers which some crimes were as little as $1000 in makeup is pathetic. The 'Mr Bigs' in the crime world got away scot-free. What about Ray Hollis (Labor speaker) and his $40 000 dollars in travel costs does he go to jail? Is he paying the money back, no. Why not? What is the difference between this and Fitzgerald?
Of course Joh deserves a state-funeral, he led this state for 19 years and was a MP for 41. I don't like Peter Beattie becuase he introduced the tree-clearing laws which have damaged my business so when he finally leaves us can I demand that he not receive a funeral that is paid for by taxpayers? What about when Gough Whitlam finnally falls off the perch, he took this country back decades in terms of business growth from interest rates, can I demand that he not receive the same. No, as much I do not like these men they served their country in their highest repective feilds and when they do die should be entitled to the benefit of. Besides Jim Cairns got a State funeral and he was a admitted adultuer!
Joh built Queensland and paved the way for a new approach to industiral relations. Sure he made some enemies but I beleive that this state needs another Joh who is prepared to stand up for what he beleives in. Currently we do not have that on either side (with a possible exeption of Jeff Seeney). When that day finally comes Queensland will be head and shoulders above any other state in the Commonwealth much like it was when Joh was running the place, don't you worry about that.
As for the comment on Lady Flo, that is what her name is Lady Florence Bjelke-Peterson. Come on, if you do not say Lady Flo (or shorten any name for that matter eg Tom opposed to Thomas and Bill as to William) then you would be un-Australian, pull your head in.
Damian, he was seen as corrupt and shown so by the inquiry. End of story.
The fact his old government was thrown out despite the gerrymander showed the depth of dislike towards them. A gerrymander won't save you if more than half the population, evenly spread over the electorate, thinks you're 'on the nose.'
If you think his legacy is all about the SEQEB dispute, there's not much to show for over 20 years in power.
Joe woz a good bloke!
He fixed up 'dem bludgers, and coons and pooftas... I'd vote for him.
My hat off to ya' Joe, rest in piece.
Yeah what a load of rubbish. The whole Gerrymander idea was invented by the labor party in the 50's and it took joh's political people the first 10years in office to get qld back on even keel. Joh was never ever guilty of corruption, his mistake was trusting people in his government and police force who he'd worked with for years, they turned around and abused his trust, that was all the thanks he got. He left the fitzgerald inquiry broke and broken. And back to the gerry mander, at the recent state election the beattie government got 50 odd percent of the vote...how many seats do they have???