Joh Bjelke-Petersen

**Sir Johannes** "**Joh**" **Bjelke-Petersen**  (13 January 191123 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.

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.

## Infobox (officeholder)

- **honorific-prefix**: The Honourable
- **name**: Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen
- **image**: Joh Bjelke-Petersen.jpg
- **office**: 31st Premier of Queensland

- **term start**: 8 August 1968
- **term end**: 1 December 1987
- **monarch**: Elizabeth II
- **governor**: Alan Mansfield
 Colin Hannah
 James Ramsay (governor), James Ramsay
 Walter Campbell (judge), Walter Campbell
- **deputy**: Gordon Chalk
 William Knox (Queensland politician), William Knox
 Llew Edwards (politician), Llew Edwards
 Bill Gunn (Queensland politician, born 1920), Bill Gunn
- **predecessor**: Gordon Chalk
- **successor**: Mike Ahern (Australian politician), Mike Ahern
- **office1**: 20th Deputy Premier of Queensland
- **premier1**: Gordon Chalk
- **term start1**: 1 August 1968
- **term end1**: 8 August 1968
- **predecessor1**: Gordon Chalk
- **successor1**: Gordon Chalk
- **term start2**: 7 August 1968
- **term end2**: 1 December 1987
- **deputy2**: Ron Camm
 Bill Gunn (Queensland politician, born 1920), Bill Gunn
- **predecessor2**: Jack Pizzey
- **successor2**: Mike Ahern
- **office3**: National Party of Australia – Queensland, Deputy Leader of the Country Party in Queensland
- **leader3**: Jack Pizzey
- **term start3**: January 1968
- **term end3**: 7 August 1968
- **predecessor3**: Jack Pizzey
- **successor3**: Ron Camm
- **office4**: 38th Treasurer of Queensland
- **term start4**: 19 August 1983
- **term end4**: 1 December 1987
- **predecessor4**: Llew Edwards
- **successor4**: Mike Ahern
- **office5**: List of Ministers of Public Works (Queensland), Minister for Public Works and Housing
- **premier5**: Frank Nicklin
 Jack Pizzey
 Gordon Chalk
- **term start5**: 26 September 1963
- **term end5**: 8 August 1968
- **predecessor5**: Harold Richter
- **successor5**: Max Hodges
- **office6**: Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly for Electoral district of Barambah, Barambah
- **term start6**: 29 April 1950
- **term end6**: 1 December 1987
- **predecessor6**: New seat
- **successor6**: Trevor Perrett
- **office7**: Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly for Electoral district of Nanango, Nanango
- **term start7**: 3 May 1947
- **term end7**: 29 April 1950
- **predecessor7**: James Edwards (Queensland politician), James Edwards
- **successor7**: Seat abolished
- **office8**: Member of the Shire of Kingaroy, Kingaroy Shire Council
- **term start8**: 1946
- **term end8**: 1949
- **birth place**: Dannevirke, New Zealand
- **death place**: Kingaroy, Queensland, Australia
- **restingplace**: Kingaroy, Queensland, Australia
- **birthname**: Johannes Bjelke-Petersen
- **education**: Kingaroy, Taabinga State School
- **nationality**: Australians, Australian
- **children**: 4
- **relatives**: Bjelke-Petersen family