1978 Cabinet Minutes released

A shonky cancer quack, an unhappy Coalition, the second highest unemployment rate in the country and a blown out state budget.

Overcrowded watchhouses, citizens locked up for marching in the streets, political interference in the school curriculum and a power station in the wrong place.

A Liberal Leader was overthrown and there was a new State Opposition Leader.

“WELCOME TO 1978 AND THE JOH BJELKE-PETERSEN COALITION GOVERNMENT,” Public Works Minister Robert Schwarten said at the release of the 1978 Cabinet Minutes.

Mr Schwarten listed more of his notable highlights from the release of the 30-year-old Cabinet Minutes released by Queensland State Archives today:

“Milan Brych split Joh and his Liberal Leader Llew Edwards, then Health Minister, over Brych’s proposal to come to Australia to practice cancer cures. Edwards, a medical doctor, supported his Federal counterpart in rejecting Brych’s bid to enter the country on the grounds that he would not be registered as a doctor in Queensland.

Joh wanted to send the Government plane to the Cook Islands to pick up the deregistered doctor. Brych never set up practice here, nor did he cure cancer.

The Cabinet was divided over the placement of a site for a new power station. The relevant Minister Camm believed it should go up to Millmerran. Joh had other ideas and insisted it go to Tarong. Cabinet voted 10-7 to support Joh and the station is at Tarong.

Street marching was banned and again there was disharmony in the Coalition ranks with the Liberals promising a review and Joh remaining adamant there would be none. 347 citizens were locked up, some of them high profile Federal and State politicians, causing civil rights lawyer Terry O’Gorman to complain of lawyers being thrown out of the watchhouse which he said was overcrowded with cells holding 10 times the numbers they should have.

John Kerr resigned as UNESCO Ambassador without taking up the position because of jibes such as that from Federal Opposition Leader Bill Hayden that he was ‘Judas in a top hat.’

Llew Edwards knocked off Bill Knox as Liberal Leader and Tom Burns resigned as Labor Opposition Leader, a job taken by Ed Casey.

A petrol equalisation proposal was unsettling backbenchers as fuel prices soared between 15 cents and 22 cents a litre.

Amazingly history seems to record the Bjelke-Petersen Government as good financial managers, not only was unemployment rising and the budget exploding but the management of building projects left a lot to be desired.

For example, the Parliamentary Annexe, arguably one of Brisbane ugliest buildings was completed at a cost of $20 million, three times that of the estimate – a far cry from today’s Public Works record of on time and on budget.

Also, this was the year that the Bjelke-Petersen Government forecast a $400,000 budget surplus only to come in at a $1 million deficit. Seems unlike today’s coalition, Joh did accept the need for budget deficits.

Negotiations for the controversial Iwasaki Resort at Yeppoon were discussed in Cabinet during this period.

Pool fencing was also on the agenda but in sharp contrast to this month’s debate on the issue. Cabinet decided to defer the a decision on that issue, history records it was deferred until the Goss Labor Government implemented pool fencing in the 1990s.

Queensland had its own taste of political censorship as Cabinet banned two social science programs MACOS (Man: A Course of Studies) and SEMP (Social Education Materials Project).

The final word for the year goes to Aboriginal Affairs Minister Mr Porter who said, “We were spurned, harassed and brushed aside in Labor’s term – the last two years have been no better, and might even seem, in some aspects worse.” Mr Porter was referring to Commonwealth intrusion in Indigenous affairs.” Mr Schwarten said.

The 1978 Queensland Cabinet Minutes will be available to the public at Queensland State Archives, 435 Compton Road, Runcorn, Brisbane from tomorrow (Friday, 2 January 2009).

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