A captivating and cautionary portrait of one of Australia’s most controversial politicians, Joh Bjelke-Petersen, whose career can be seen as a playbook for the Trump era.
Premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen reigned over Queensland for 19 tumultuous years (1968–1987). Hugely popular, he presided over enormous growth, but corruption raged under his tenure, as did electoral manipulation and often violent suppression of dissent. This film tells Joh’s story through rare archival footage and revelatory interviews, exploring a life shaped by a hard yakka, god-fearing upbringing on his family’s farm. Trump’s spectre is evoked in Joh’s famously mangled and meandering way of speaking – brilliantly dramatised by Richard Roxburgh – alongside his unyielding execution of power and the desperate denial of his final days in office.
Kriv Stenders
Director, Writer
Matthew Condon
Writer
Joh Bjelke-Petersen
Self (archival)
Matthew Condon
Self
Bob Katter
Self
Richard Roxburgh
Joh Bjelke-Petersen
Lindy Morrison
Self
Ed Kuepper
Self
John Howard
Self
David Littleproud
Self
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