Joh: Last King of Queensland
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
as Self (archival)
Matthew Condon
as Self
Bob Katter
as Self
Richard Roxburgh
as Joh Bjelke-Petersen
Lindy Morrison
as Self
Ed Kuepper
as Self
John Howard
as Self
David Littleproud
as Self
