Working the system: government in Queensland

Abstract

Most of what has been written about Queensland politics over recent years has focused on the political style and policies of Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen and his personal dominance of the Queensland political stage. One of the effects of this consuming interest of observers in the person rather than the party has been to deflect attention from the way the Nationals built and broadened their power base, eclipsed the Liberals in government and kept the Labor party in the political wilderness. Even less has been known about how the Nationals in government have operated, although there have been some inklings as a result of the Fitzgerald Inquiry. This book is about how politics and government have been played, and continue to be played, in Queensland. In particular, it is about how the Nationals have operated as a government and how they have used political power. The Queensland National party staunchly professes its affection for the British monarchy, its commitment to democratic ideals, its attachment to the so-called Westminster system, and its determination forever to preserve and defend these traditions. Rhetoric aside, however, the Nationals over the years have shown they neither appreciated nor were concerned about the role of the various institutions in a parliamentary system of accountable government, the interrelationships among them, or the principle of the separation of powers.