Joh Bjelke-Petersen's send-off should befit his legacy to Queensland

Joh Bjelke-Petersen was the man who ordered Fred Hollows out of our state, stopping his treatment clinics because Fred’s Aboriginal liaison officers were also helping Aboriginal people get on the electoral roll.

The message the government will send to the family of Ray Whitrod; to John Sinclair and his family; to the woman bashed on Coronation Drive; to those who lost their careers; to the thousands of ordinary people denigrated, labelled and locked up for wanting normal democratic rights seems to be “Oh he was ok really. It wasn’t that bad”? Well, it was bad and no amount of ostrich-like behaviour or spin will change the reality of the past that Joh Bjelke-Petersen promulgated and allowed while he was Premier.

It is sad to contemplate that our political process has failed to mature to a point where it is able to react with both ethical strength and humanity in dealing with this issue.

Peter Beattie has shown in the past that not only is he prepared to push for reform but he is also someone who has the ability to be honest in public life and change his mind. In this case his leadership will not be measured by rigidity. It will be measured by whether he can find a grey zone, a place where as many Queenslanders as possible can live with the outcome.

Mr Beattie as an individual may choose to pay his respects to Joh Bjelke-Petersen as a man, a father etc. He may choose to respect his time as Premier and to attend his funeral. He might even consider offering that the government make an ex-gratia payment to Joh Bjelke-Petersen’s family to cover the funeral expenses as his passing will be rightly mourned by many.

But as our current Premier he and the government ought not laud and honour Joh Bjelke-Petersen’s reign at the helm of Queensland.

As a growing, maturing and still recovering state we need to show that we acknowledge and have come to terms with our past - not simply rewritten it, glossed over it and now look to repeat it.