Published Tuesday, 01 January, 2008 at 12:00 AM
Premier
The Honourable Anna Bligh
FORMER GOVERNMENT FAILED WOMEN, PREMIER SAYS
The status of women, water supply problems and Fraser Island mining issues dominate the 1977 Queensland Cabinet minutes, released today by Queensland State Archives after 30 years.
Premier Anna Bligh said the Cabinet records gave a remarkable insight into the inner workings of the former Bjelke-Petersen coalition government and the issues of the day, including the prevailing attitude towards women.
“Cabinet at the time endorsed a policy that gave preference to college leavers over married women in the Queensland public service,” Ms Bligh said.
“Married women who had the necessary knowledge and experience to grow and develop through the ranks of the public service were prevented from doing so in favour of others.
“These previously-secret Cabinet documents clearly demonstrate just how far Queensland has come in the past three decades,” she said.
Ms Bligh said the Cabinet records also showed the coalition government of 1977 had allowed the chance to control urban water supply slip through its fingers.
“In 1977, Queensland was in a similar situation with drought that we are in today – when it was faced with its driest year in two decades,” Ms Bligh said.
“The Bjelke-Petersen government had the opportunity to establish a Moreton Water Authority to control new and future water supply facilities, such as dams, treatment works and trunk mains.
“But Cabinet lost its nerve in the face of council opposition.
“Queensland’s water security may have been vastly different today had the Bjelke-Peterson Government put Queensland before politics, but it has taken this Government to make the tough decision and we will deliver that water security where they failed,” she said.
The documents released today show the then coalition government remained keen to allow sand mining on Fraser Island, despite the Commonwealth ban imposed in December 1976.
Public Works Minister Robert Schwarten said the documents revealed that Cabinet at the time was at loggerheads with the Federal Government on the sand mining issue.
“Cabinet refused to withdraw its threat to challenge the validity of the Commonwealth’s ban on mining and was demanding almost $78 million in compensation over 10 years,” Mr Schwarten said.
“The Commonwealth offered $10 million dollars over four years, but the Queensland Government was putting up all sorts of arguments, claiming that environmental matters should be the concern of the State,” he said.
Other issues of note before Cabinet in 1977 included then Premier Bjelke-Petersen’s ban on protest marches, opposition to Commonwealth policies on welfare for Aboriginal people, an electoral redistribution, late-night shopping, and the controversial Iwasaki tourist resort near Yeppoon.
The 1977 Cabinet minutes will be available to the public at Queensland State Archives, 435 Compton Road, Runcorn, from Wednesday January 2.
Queensland State Archives is open to the public on weekdays from 9.00am to 4.30pm, and on the second Saturday of the month during the same hours.
The first Saturday opening for 2008 will be January 12.
Media: 3224 4500 (Premier's office) or 3237 1184 (Minister Schwarten's office)
Premier Anna Bligh said the Cabinet records gave a remarkable insight into the inner workings of the former Bjelke-Petersen coalition government and the issues of the day, including the prevailing attitude towards women.
“Cabinet at the time endorsed a policy that gave preference to college leavers over married women in the Queensland public service,” Ms Bligh said.
“Married women who had the necessary knowledge and experience to grow and develop through the ranks of the public service were prevented from doing so in favour of others.
“These previously-secret Cabinet documents clearly demonstrate just how far Queensland has come in the past three decades,” she said.
Ms Bligh said the Cabinet records also showed the coalition government of 1977 had allowed the chance to control urban water supply slip through its fingers.
“In 1977, Queensland was in a similar situation with drought that we are in today – when it was faced with its driest year in two decades,” Ms Bligh said.
“The Bjelke-Petersen government had the opportunity to establish a Moreton Water Authority to control new and future water supply facilities, such as dams, treatment works and trunk mains.
“But Cabinet lost its nerve in the face of council opposition.
“Queensland’s water security may have been vastly different today had the Bjelke-Peterson Government put Queensland before politics, but it has taken this Government to make the tough decision and we will deliver that water security where they failed,” she said.
The documents released today show the then coalition government remained keen to allow sand mining on Fraser Island, despite the Commonwealth ban imposed in December 1976.
Public Works Minister Robert Schwarten said the documents revealed that Cabinet at the time was at loggerheads with the Federal Government on the sand mining issue.
“Cabinet refused to withdraw its threat to challenge the validity of the Commonwealth’s ban on mining and was demanding almost $78 million in compensation over 10 years,” Mr Schwarten said.
“The Commonwealth offered $10 million dollars over four years, but the Queensland Government was putting up all sorts of arguments, claiming that environmental matters should be the concern of the State,” he said.
Other issues of note before Cabinet in 1977 included then Premier Bjelke-Petersen’s ban on protest marches, opposition to Commonwealth policies on welfare for Aboriginal people, an electoral redistribution, late-night shopping, and the controversial Iwasaki tourist resort near Yeppoon.
The 1977 Cabinet minutes will be available to the public at Queensland State Archives, 435 Compton Road, Runcorn, from Wednesday January 2.
Queensland State Archives is open to the public on weekdays from 9.00am to 4.30pm, and on the second Saturday of the month during the same hours.
The first Saturday opening for 2008 will be January 12.
Media: 3224 4500 (Premier's office) or 3237 1184 (Minister Schwarten's office)