The Ayes Have It: The History of the Queensland Parliament 1957-1989‘The Ayes Have It’ is a fascinating account of the Queensland Parliament during three decades of high-drama politics. It examines in detail the Queensland Parliament from the days of the ‘Labor split’ in the 1950s, through the conservative governments of Frank Nicklin, John Bjelke- Petersen and Mike Ahern, to the fall of the Nationals government led briefly by Russell Cooper in December 1989. The volume traces the rough and tumble of parliamentary politics in the frontier state. The authors focus on parliament as a political forum, on the representatives and personalities that made up the institution over this period, on the priorities and political agendas that were pursued, and the increasingly contentious practices used to control parliamentary proceedings. Throughout the entire history are woven other controversies that repeatedly recur – controversies over state economic development, the provision of government services, industrial disputation and government reactions, electoral zoning and disputes over malapportionment, the impost of taxation in the ‘low tax state’, encroachments on civil liberties and political protests, the perennial topic of censorship, as well as the emerging issues of integrity, concerns about conflicts of interest and the slide towards corruption. There are fights with the federal government – especially with the Whitlam government – and internal fights within the governing coalition which eventually leads to its collapse in 1983, after which the Nationals manage to govern alone for two very tumultuous terms. On the non-government side, the bitterness of the 1950s split was reflected in the early parliaments of this period, and while the Australian Labor Party eventually saw off its rivalrous off-shoot (the QLP-DLP) it then began to implode through waves of internal factional discord. |
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Contents
Inside the Queensland Parliament | 1 |
Parliaments refusal of supply and defeat of Labor 1957 | 29 |
The early Nicklin years 19571963 | 57 |
the Nicklin government 19631968 | 87 |
The Nicklin governments legislative program | 125 |
The oppositional parties in the Parliament 19571968 | 167 |
The PizzeyChalk interlude 1968 | 203 |
The early BjelkePetersen years 19681969 | 249 |
The doldrums in opposition 19681989 | 469 |
The demise of the Coalition and the Nationals | 503 |
The implosion of Joh BjelkePetersen 19831987 | 545 |
The end of an era 19871989 | 589 |
do the ayes have it? | 643 |
Appendix 1 | 653 |
Appendix 2 | 669 |
Appendix 3 | 703 |
The slide towards uncertainty 19691972 | 285 |
Commanding the Parliament 19721975 | 335 |
All power corrupts 19761980 | 377 |
The governments legislative program 19681989 | 425 |
711 | |
719 | |
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The Ayes Have it: The History of the Queensland Parliament, 1957 - 1989 John Wanna,Tracy Arklay No preview available - 2010 |
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accused Act Amendment administration Aikens allegations ALP’s announced appointed asked Assembly attack August Australian backbenchers Bill Bill Hewitt Bjelke Bjelke-Petersen Brisbane budget by-election cabinet Camm campaign candidate Casey cent challenge Chamber claimed Coalition government Commissioner committee conservative contest Country Party Courier-Mail debate decision Deputy Premier Ed Casey election electoral federal Fitzgerald Fitzgerald Inquiry former Frank Nicklin Gair Gordon Chalk Goss government members government’s Governor Hewitt Hooper House increased introduced issue Jack Duggan Jack Houston Jack Pizzey Joh Bjelke-Petersen Knox Labor members later leadership legislation Liberal Party March Mike Ahern Minister ministry motion Muller National Party nominated October Opposition Leader opposition’s organisation parliamentary Party’s police political poll portfolio Premiership Primary Industries Queensland Parliament question reform resigned responsibility Russ Hinze seat senior Services sitting day Speaker speech Standing Orders state’s Tom Aikens Treasurer union Vince Gair Wayne Goss