Was Sir Joh ‘God', as David Littleproud says, or a template for Trump?
Bob Katter claims Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen 'couldn't string three coherent words together', a former Brisbane mayor insists the state's longest-serving premier was not corrupt, and multiple commentators suggest he 'set the template' for Donald Trump.
Due for release this Sunday on Stan, Joh: Last King of Queensland follows the Kingaroy peanut farmer's rise to premier and would-be prime minister – before his spectacular downfall in the wake of the Fitzgerald inquiry.
'I think Joh was a force of nature … he was God,' Littleproud says.
'He's the father of modern-day Queensland because he had the courage of his conviction. He had the strength and determination to stand up and to be different.'
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In reference to a perjury trial that ended with a hung jury, Littleproud added: 'Joh was never convicted of any crime. He walked away with nothing. He walked away, after years of public service making Queensland great, an innocent man that left a legacy. And that is the story.'
Bjelke-Petersen was born in 1911, and served as premier for a record 19 years, from 1968 and 1987.
His political conservatism dominated Queensland for almost two decades. Loved by some and accused of an authoritarian bent by others, his government unravelled after the revelation of widespread corruption in government and the police.
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