Joh Bjelke-Petersen

Life and times: Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen --------------------------------------------------------- 1911: Johannes Bjelke-Petersen is born in New Zealand on January 13. His family moved to Kingaroy in southern Queensland when he was a small boy. ----------------------------------1920: Contracts polio at age nine, leaving him with a limp for life. ------------------------------------------------1947: Wins the seat of Nanango for the Country Party, kicking off his career in state politics.----------------------------------------- 1957: Joh Bjelke-Petersen marries Florence Gilmour, who went on to serve as a senator for Queensland for 12 years. She also became famous for her pumpkin scones, even releasing her own cookbook. ----------------------------------------1963: Appointed a minister under the government of Frank Nicklin. -----------------------------------------1968: Against the odds, Joh becomes premier, filling the vacancy left by the death of Jack Pizzey.----------------------------------- 1971: Declares a state of emergency to prevent anti-apartheid marches during the South African rugby union team's tour.-------------------------------------------- 1974: The Country Party changes its name to the National Party and starts to contest seats in metropolitan Brisbane against the Liberal Party.------------------------------------------ 1975: Ignoring constitutional convention, Joh appoints political ally Albert Field to replace the late Labor senator Bert Milliner. The move ultimately helped bring down Gough Whitlam's government. ----------------------------------1977: The Bjelke-Petersen government ban street marches, the premier calling them "a thing of the past". The move prompted marchers to take to the streets in defiance. ----------------------------------1983: After 23 years of joint government with the Liberal Party, the National Party wins government in its own right after the Liberals tear up their power-sharing agreement. Joh's victory was sealed by the controversial defections of Liberals Brian Austin and Don Lane, who were rewarded with frontbench seats in the new government.-------------------------------------------- 1984: Joh is knighted by the Queen.------------------------------------ 1985: Sir Joh locks horns with Queensland's union movement, threatening to sack 1,500 electricity workers in a dispute over contract labour.----------------------------------- 1986: After a controversial electoral redistribution in which Sir Joh refined the electoral gerrymander left by Labor, the Nationals won government with just 38.6 per cent of the vote. -------------------------------------1987: The Queensland premier begins his Joh for PM campaign, which was later watered down to Joh for Canberra and ultimately abandoned. ---------------------------------May 12, 1987: Then police minister Bill Gunn announces the establishment of an independent open inquiry into police corruption, to be headed by Tony Fitzgerald, after allegations made on ABC TV's Four Corners program. The inquiry subsequently found evidence of widespread corruption.------------------------------- Nov 24, 1987: Sir Joh attempts to sack five ministers for disloyalty, including potential premiership candidate Mike Ahern. -----------------------------------25, 1987: National Party president Sir Robert Sparkes seals Sir Joh's fate by announcing a new administration. -----------------------------Nov 26, 1987: Mr Ahern deposes Sir Joh as National Party leader but Sir Joh refuses to resign the office of premier, saying he would let Parliament decide his fate. He had planned to retire on August 8, 1988 under the banner of World Expo '88 in Brisbane. ---------------------------------------------December 1, 1987: Sir Joh steps down as premier, saying he could no longer represent the National Party's policies.-------------------------------------------- October 29, 1990: The Brisbane Magistrates Court issues two summonses charging Sir Joh with one count of official corruption and two of perjury.------------------------------------------------ October 20, 1991: The jury in Sir Joh's trial announces it cannot reach a verdict, with some jurors for and some against Sir Joh. Eleven days later, the Crown withdrew the indictment against Sir Joh and discharged him.-------------------------------------------------- 1992: A special prosecutor announces Sir Joh will not be retried for perjury because he is too old, after revelations that the jury's foreman, Luke Shaw, was a member of the National Party's youth wing.------------------------------------------------------- ---- 2003: Sir Joh files a lawsuit seeking $338 million in damages over lost superannuation and harm to his business interests allegedly caused by the Fitzgerald Inquiry. The Queensland Government rejected the claim.I edited my profile with Thomas' Myspace Editor V4.4