Joh Bjelke-Petersen

Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen (born January 13, 1911) was the National Party Premier of the Australian State of Queensland from 1968 to 1987.

Known to contemporary Australians simply as "Joh", Bjelke-Petersen lead a regime which became legendary for its political dominance ("The Bjelke-mander") and its authoritarian policies. His power extended beyond Queensland - by employing the powers granted to Premiers by the Australian Constitution in unprecedented ways, he played a key role in the downfall of the Whitlam Federal Government.

Bjelke-Petersen's Premiership appeared to be politically invulnerable until the late 1980s, when investigative reporting by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation program Four Corners brought to light evidence of widespread corruption in both the police force and the National Party government. The subsequent two-year-long Comission of Inquiry into "Possible Illegal Activities and Associated Police Misconduct", chaired by barrister John Fitzgerald (the Fitzgerald Inquiry), which in 1989 lead to the end of the National Party's thirty-two year hold on government.

As these events unfolded, Bjelke-Petersen made an extraordinary political move, launching an unwinable National Party campaign for the Prime Ministership, working against the Nationals' usual coalition partner, the Liberal Party (under the leadership of John Howard). The Joh for Canberra campaign was of significant benefit to the incumbent ALP Prime Minister, Bob Hawke.

Sir Joh himself was deposed as National Party leader on November 26, 1987, but incredibly, refused to resign the office of Premier at the same time, as was the convention in such a situation. He proclaimed that he would let the State Parliament decide his fate. This brought about a constitutional crisis which ended with his reluctant resignation as Premier on December 1st.

The Fitzgerald Inquiry ultimately lead to a criminal prosecution against Petersen. The trial resulted in a hung jury, amid claims that the jury foreman, a National Party member, was responsible for the result. Whilst Joh was not acquitted, prosecutors opted not to attempt to try him again.

In 2003, an aging Joh Bjelke-Petersen re-appeared in the public spotlight when he filed a lawsuit seeking AUD $338 million in damages as a result of lost superannuation and business harm, allegedly caused by the Fitzgerald Inquiry.