Movie

Joh: Last King of Queensland

2025 1h 39m Released

Documentary

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

J Joh Bjelke-Petersen Self (archival) M Matthew Condon Self Bob Katter Self Richard Roxburgh Joh Bjelke-Petersen L Lindy Morrison Self E Ed Kuepper Self