REMEMBER WHEN

GOLD COAST BULLETIN Thursday February 12, 1987

SIR Joh Bjelke-Petersen made firm plans to head for Canberra.

The results of nationwide opinion polls and telephone surveys during the previous week confirmed in Sir Joh’s mind his belief that his direction was the successful road for conservative politics.

For Sir Joh, the voter surveys told him he could not only turn the tide of conservative thinking in Canberra but also lead the conservative push to victory over the Hawke Labor Government at that year’s election. To a degree, the Premier was forced into the decision to seek a direct role in Canberra by the failure of the National Party’s federal leader, Ian Sinclair, to step away from the Liberal Party’s policies and adopt a new conservative alterative.

But Sir Joh said he would give Mr Sinclair one last chance, which he said would come at the following week’s party room meeting.

“Time is running out for Sinclair,” he said.

Sir Joh said Mr Sinclair and other federal National Party members would have to declare whether they were with him or against him.

“Joh Bjelke-Petersen won’t be waiting much longer,” he said.

And, having set the political bushfire raging in National Party ranks across the country, the Premier then threw his still lit match into the Liberal camp.

He told journalists he was aware of a move to oust Liberal leader John Howard and replace him with Andrew Peacock.

Ultimately Sir Joh failed to move into federal politics despite his proposed candidacy leading to a Coalition split.