Joh: Last King of Queensland

Overview

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.

Cast

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