Re-assessing Sir Joh

It has been said that Sir Joh behaved unconstitutionally by not following the practice or convention of appointing the Labor nominee, Mal Colston, to replace a Labor senator who had died. But just prior to this a NSW premier had filled a Senate place vacated by a Labor senator with an independent - if there were a convention, it seemed to have been changed.

And it should be recalled that these were unusual times. This was a period of great financial instability and aggressive centralism under the increasingly unpopular Whitlam Government. The foreign loans affair was an egregious example of a government which, with the notable exception of its new Treasurer, Bill Hayden, appeared to have lost its senses. The Government’s increasingly bizarre actions were seen by many Australians, including a significant number of Labor voters, to be leading the nation to a disaster.

When the vacancy in the Senate arose, Sir Joh first proposed the ALP offer three names from which the parliament should choose one. This was rejected, so he chose his own, ostensibly Labor, candidate, Senator Field.

His last years in government were not his best. The “Joh for PM” campaign was unwise, and damaging to his federal coalition partners and the Hawke Government profited from this. When Sir Joh resisted the inevitable and tried to stay in office against the wishes of his party (and probably the Parliament), the Governor, Sir Walter Campbell, was able to demonstrate the importance of having a check and balance above politics. But corruption and scandals are not exclusive to any government - the Heiner affair which has continued to fester since the Goss Government is surely testimony to that.

The Premier, Mr Beattie was right. We should honour Sir Joh for what he did for Queensland and Australia.