Joh Bjelke-Petersen
Sir Johannes "Joh" Bjelke-Petersen[b] KCMG (13 January 1911 – 23 April 2005), also nicknamed Sir Joh, was an Australian politician who served as the 31st Premier of Queensland. He was Queensland's longest-serving and longest-lived Premier. While he was Premier, he was the leader of the Queensland branch of the National Party, which used to be called the Country Party.
Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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31st Premier of Queensland Elections: 1969, 1972, 1974, 1977, 1980, 1983, 1986 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
In office 8 August 1968 – 1 December 1987 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Monarch | Elizabeth II | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Governor | Alan Mansfield Colin Hannah James Ramsay Walter Campbell | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Deputy | Gordon Chalk William Knox Llew Edwards Bill Gunn | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Preceded by | Gordon Chalk | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Succeeded by | Mike Ahern | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
20th Deputy Premier of Queensland | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
In office 1 August 1968 – 8 August 1968 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Premier | Gordon Chalk | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Preceded by | Gordon Chalk | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Succeeded by | Gordon Chalk | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | Johannes Bjelke-Petersen 13 January 1911 Dannevirke, New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Died | 23 April 2005 Kingaroy, Queensland, Australia | (aged 94)||||||||||||||||||||||||
Resting place | Kingaroy, Queensland, Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Citizenship | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Nationality | Australian | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Political party |
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Spouse(s) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Children | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Relatives | Bjelke-Petersen family | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Education | Taabinga State School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Occupation |
He was a very conservative politician with many controversial views. He was also very controversial because his government did many things that were corrupt. Some historians have even described him as being "semi-authoritarian". For example, he is responsible for the "Bjelkemander", which was a type of gerrymander (which is a practice that makes it easier for one party to win government). The Bjelkemander meant that more seats were in rural and remote areas so the National Party would always be in government, because the Labor Party and the Liberal Party got most of their votes from cities. He was also involved in the 1975 Australian constitutional crisis, which made Gough Whitlam resign as Prime Minister.
He once tried to run in the 1987 federal election to try and become Prime Minister, as part of the "Joh for Canberra" campaign. However, he did not do it because of the Fitzgerald Inquiry, which was a controversial inquiry that exposed corruption in his government and saw many of his ministers taken to jail, some even lost their knighthoods. This saw him resign as Premier and he quit politics altogether. It also was a reason that his party lost the 1991 state election. He was later trialed in court for perjury, but was not convicted and he was not trialed again because he was too old.
Notes
change- ↑ During Bjelke-Petersen's Premiership, the Country Party changed its name twice: to the National Country Party and later to the National Party.
- ↑ Bjelke-Petersen said his name as /ˈdʒoʊ ˈbjɛlkə ˈpiːtərsən/,[1] which is closer to how it would be pronounced in Danish. However, most people said his name as either /ˈbjɛlki/ or /biˈɛlki/.
References
change- ↑ "A Country Road: The Nationals: Joh Bjelke-Petersen". YouTube. Archived from the original on 12 December 2021. Retrieved 8 December 2018.