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Commentary: ‘It was “year one”’ - Insiders’ reflections on Wayne Goss and the 1989 Queensland election

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 June 2020

Chris Salisbury
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Abstract

The thirtieth anniversary of the election of Wayne Goss’s Labor Party to government in Queensland was marked on 2 December 2019. Considered a landmark political event, the 1989 state election saw the once-dominant National Party dispatched from office after thirty-two years of conservative government in this state. The election of an energetic new premier kick-started a period of purposeful public administration reform and public accountability renewal that many have described since as ‘the birth of modern Queensland’. Yet the end of the divisive Bjelke-Petersen era, as Goss’s ascent was characterised, was for some an uneasy time of accelerated transformational change. From these varied perspectives, and through the recorded recollections of public figures and senior administrators of the time, this article looks back at a modern benchmark for ‘historic’ state elections in Queensland.

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Articles
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Queensland Review , Volume 27 , Issue 1 , June 2020 , pp. 73 - 82
Copyright
© The Author(s) 2020

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References

Notes

1 Williams, Paul, ‘Leadership or policy? Explaining the 2015 Queensland election result’, Australian Journal of Politics and History 64(2) (2018), 260CrossRefGoogle Scholar.

2 Indexed interviews with many of the figures mentioned in this article, as well as other figures involved in the period under discussion, can be found at queenslandspeaks.com.au.

3 Chris O’Brien, ‘25-year anniversary of Queensland Labor’s election victory comes just weeks too late for Wayne Goss’, ABC News, 2 December 2014, https://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-11-28/25th-anniversay-qld-labor-winning-qld-election/5924592.

4 Natalie Bochenski, ‘Wayne Goss was Queensland’s Gough Whitlam, says academic’, Brisbane Times, 10 November 2014, https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/queensland/wayne-goss-was-queenslands-gough-whitlam-says-academic-20141110-11jqqq.html.

5 Cameron Atfield, ‘Wayne Goss farewelled at GOMA’, Brisbane Times, 21 November 2014, https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/queensland/wayne-goss-farewelled-at-goma-20141121-11rkr2.html.

6 Matthew Condon, ‘Jacks and Jokers: Bjelke-Petersen and Queensland’s “police state”’, The Conversation, 27 March 2014, https://theconversation.com/jacks-and-jokers-bjelke-petersen-and-queenslands-police-state-24700.

7 Stevens, Bron and Wanna, John, ‘The Goss government: An agenda for reform’, in Stevens, B. and Wanna, J. (eds), The Goss government: Promise and performance of Labor in Queensland (Melbourne: Macmillan, 1993), 1–2Google Scholar.

8 Elaine Ford, ‘Wayne Goss public memorial: Hundreds turn out to honour former Queensland Labor premier’, ABC News, 22 November 2014, https://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-11-21/wayne-goss-public-memorial-hundreds-turn-out-to-public-memorial/5909496.

9 Colley, Linda, ‘The politics of regulating an apolitical public service’, in Bowden, B. et al. (eds), Work and strife in paradise: The history of labour relations in Queensland 1859–2009 (Sydney: Federation Press, 2009), 172–3Google Scholar.

10 Amy Remeikis, ‘Wayne Goss a “shy” premier who brought forth the sunshine’, Brisbane Times, 10 November 2014, https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/queensland/wayne-goss-a-shy-premier-who-brought-forth-the-sunshine-20141110-11jsdr.html.

11 See Dennis Atkins, ‘Wayne Goss a reformer who didn’t know meaning of defeat’, Courier-Mail, 10 November 2014, https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/wayne-goss-a-reformer-who-didnt-know-meaning-of-defeat/news-story/06dbb41aa759d3b3956dd16598b642e7; David Barbagallo, ‘Wayne Goss, 1951–2014: A tribute’, The Guardian, 10 November 2014, https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2014/nov/10/wayne-goss-obituary; Jennifer King and Elaine Ford, ‘Wayne Goss obituary: Former premier gave Queensland back its dignity in ending party’s 32 years in opposition’, ABC News, 10 November 2014, https://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-11-10/obituary-wayne-goss/5879222; Terry Sweetman, ‘Wayne Goss wasn’t a mug and didn’t use working class heroics to woo the electorate’, Courier-Mail, 13 November 2014, https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/opinion/wayne-goss-wasnt-a-mug-and-didnt-use-working-class-heroics-to-woo-the-electorate/story-fnihsr9v-1227122336990.

12 Glyn Davis, ‘Wayne Goss, a modernising leader who left Queensland a better place’, The Conversation, 11 November 2014, https://theconversation.com/wayne-goss-a-modernising-leader-who-left-queensland-a-better-place-34018.

13 Steven Wardill and Sarah Vogler, ‘Wayne Goss remembered: Colleagues and past foes pay tribute to former Queensland premier’, Courier-Mail, 10 November 2014, https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/wayne-goss-remembered-colleagues-and-past-foes-pay-tribute-to-former-queensland-premier/news-story/202ee3cfd99f6528859a54e1aa8fd3e2.

14 Mark Furler, ‘Wayne Goss remembered as “honest” Premier by Ahern’, Queensland Times, 10 November 2014, https://www.qt.com.au/news/former-queensland-premier-wayne-goss-dies-aged-63/2447555.

15 Queensland Parliament, ‘Record of proceedings (Hansard)’, 25 November 2014, p. 3844, https://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/documents/hansard/2014/2014_11_25_WEEKLY.pdf.

16 Dennis Atkins, ‘Thirty years on, Wayne Goss’s Queensland election victory still resonates’, The Australian, 1 December 2019, https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/thirty-years-on-wayne-gosss-queensland-election-victory-still-resonates/news-story/4bc086481d340c68fa4cd1ae085235e0. See also Jamie Walker, ‘Labor of love in Queensland state politics’, The Australian, 30 November 2019, https://www.theaustralian.com.au/inquirer/labor-of-love-in-queensland-state-politics/news-story/62e6c53472119d556444ec9b1a331e75.

17 Anthony Chisolm et al., ‘How Goss the boss inspired a new era’, Courier-Mail, 30 November 2019, https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/insight/goss-the-boss-changed-political-paradigm-in-queensland-for-the-better/news-story/383e8cfadace78c38aa6608e1e145399.

18 Kevin Rudd, ‘Statement from the Honourable Kevin Rudd AC’, 2 December 2019, https://twitter.com/MrKRudd/status/1201450652792045568/photo/1.

19 Wayne Swan, ‘The right side of history’, 22 November 2019, https://alp.org.au/national-president-media/the-right-side-of-history.

20 Centre for the Government of Queensland, ‘Wayne Goss’, Queensland Speaks, 18 August 2011, https://www.queenslandspeaks.com.au/wayne-goss [hereafter Queensland Speaks].

21 Brian Costar, ‘Sir Joh, our home-grown banana republican’, The Age, 25 April 2005, https://www.theage.com.au/national/sir-joh-our-home-grown-banana-republican-20050425-ge01f3.html.

22 Stevens and Wanna, ‘The Goss government’, 2.

23 ‘Mike Ahern’, Queensland Speaks, 16 June 2011, https://www.queenslandspeaks.com.au/mike-ahern, 00:41:38.

24 Chris Salisbury, ‘Thirty years on, the Fitzgerald Inquiry still looms large over Queensland politics’, The Conversation, 10 July 2019, https://theconversation.com/thirty-years-on-the-fitzgerald-inquiry-still-looms-large-over-queensland-politics-119167.

25 Tony Fitzgerald, ‘Queensland must put a stop to the political rot’, ABC News, 29 January 2015, https://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-01-28/fitzgerald-queensland-must-put-a-stop-to-the-political-rot/6052310; ‘Fitzgerald in new Queensland corruption warning’, ABC News, 29 July 2009, https://www.abc.net.au/news/2009-07-29/fitzgerald-in-new-qld-corruption-warning/1370686.

26 ‘Wayne Goss’, Queensland Speaks, 18 August 2011, https://www.queenslandspeaks.com.au/wayne-goss, 01:33:50.

27 ‘David Hamill’, Queensland Speaks, 14 August 2009, https://www.queenslandspeaks.com.au/david-hamill, 00:40:55.

28 Reynolds, Paul, ‘The 1989 Queensland state election: the end of an era’, Australian Journal of Politics and History 36(1) (1990), 99–100Google Scholar.

29 Reynolds, ‘The 1989 Queensland state election’, 101–3.

30 Ryan, Neal, ‘Economic and industrial development policy’, in Stevens, B. and Wanna, J. (eds), The Goss government: Promise and performance of Labor in Queensland (Melbourne: Macmillan, 1993), 161–2Google Scholar.

31 Salisbury, Chris, ‘Farm and quarry or Smart State? Queensland’s economy since 1989’, Queensland Review 18(2) (2011), 146CrossRefGoogle Scholar.

32 ‘Anne Warner’, Queensland Speaks, 6 September 2010, https://www.queenslandspeaks.com.au/anne-warner, 00:33:25.

33 ‘Wayne Goss’, Queensland Speaks, 18 August 2011, https://www.queenslandspeaks.com.au/wayne-goss, 00:36:21. See also ‘Keith De Lacy’, Queensland Speaks, 12 December 2012, https://www.queenslandspeaks.com.au/keith-de-lacy, 00:16:57, where Goss’s former treasurer outlined the ‘conservative trilogy’ of economic management for which they strove – being sustainable expenditure, fiscal responsibility and strong economic growth.

34 ‘Peter Henneken’, Queensland Speaks, 8 June 2010, https://www.queenslandspeaks.com.au/peter-henneken, 00:40:08.

35 ‘Peter Ellis’, Queensland Speaks, 8 June 2011, https://www.queenslandspeaks.com.au/peter-ellis, 00:47:39.

36 ‘Erik Finger’, Queensland Speaks, 25 February 2011, https://www.queenslandspeaks.com.au/erik-finger, 00:43:45.

37 ‘Brian Head’, Queensland Speaks, 7 December 2009, https://www.queenslandspeaks.com.au/brian-head, 00:04:20; see also Colley, ‘Politics of regulating an apolitical public service’, 174.

38 ‘Peter Coaldrake’, Queensland Speaks, 22 September 2011, www.queenslandspeaks.com.au/peter-coaldrake, 00:30:26; see also Julie Cork, ‘The Queensland public sector: Assessing the Goss government reforms’, MPhil thesis (Brisbane: University of Queensland, 2006), 3–5.

39 Colley, ‘Politics of regulating an apolitical public service’, 172.

40 ‘Terry Hogan’, Queensland Speaks, 10 January 2013, https://www.queenslandspeaks.com.au/terry-hogan, 00:10:30.

41 ‘Peter Coaldrake’, Queensland Speaks, 22 September 2011, www.queenslandspeaks.com.au/peter-coaldrake, 00:50:35; ‘Erik Finger’, Queensland Speaks, 25 February 2011, https://www.queenslandspeaks.com.au/erik-finger, 00:41:25; ‘Peter Henneken’, Queensland Speaks, 8 June 2010, https://www.queenslandspeaks.com.au/peter-henneken, 00:44:00.

42 ‘Mal Grierson’, Queensland Speaks, 19 October 2009, https://www.queenslandspeaks.com.au/mal-grierson, 01:13:55.

43 Glyn Davis, interview by the author, 25 March 2011.

44 ‘Wayne Goss’, Queensland Speaks, 18 August 2011, https://www.queenslandspeaks.com.au/wayne-goss, 01:27:27; ‘Peter Beattie’, Queensland Speaks, 28 May 2010, https://www.queenslandspeaks.com.au/peter-beattie, 00:11:23; ‘Rod Welford’, Queensland Speaks, 4 February 2011, https://www.queenslandspeaks.com.au/rod-welford, 00:34:50. See also Rae Wear, ‘Wayne Goss – a leader in the Queensland tradition?’, in B. Stevens and J. Wanna (eds), The Goss government: Promise and performance of Labor in Queensland (Melbourne: Macmillan, 1993), 25–6.

45 Ford, ‘Wayne Goss public memorial’; see also ‘Matt Foley’, Queensland Speaks, 22 September 2011, https://www.queenslandspeaks.com.au/matt-foley, 00:40:29.

46 Salisbury, ‘Thirty years on’; see also Aaron Bunch, ‘Integrity advice requests balloon in Queensland’, Brisbane Times, 28 September 2019, https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/politics/queensland/integrity-advice-requests-balloon-in-queensland-20190928-p52vsf.html.