Queensland Literary Culture in the Long Decade After Joh: Institutional Development and Narratives of Change (Joh Bjelke-Petersen) (Essay‪)‬

The apparent resuscitation of Queensland print and literary culture in the decade after the fall of Premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen in 1987 and the National Party in 1989 can be seen to be the product of three factors: an over-statement of the dereliction of literary life in Queensland under Bjelke-Petersen, and perhaps a corresponding overstated case for its contemporary recovery; the effectiveness of government and institutional mechanisms of support; and the professional development and networking of writers and other print culture agents. Together, these factors have contributed to a transformation of the profile and scale of literary activity in Queensland and to a renegotiation of the place of Queensland literature in the national context. Over the past two decades, Queensland literary culture has done much to recover from the impact of the premiership of Joh Bjelke-Petersen (1968-87) and of the Country Party and National Party governments of 1957-89. Most accounts of Bjelke-Petersen's premiership characterise the period as marked by the evacuation of writers and the 'literary' from the state. The accuracy of these accounts is open to debate, but the period since 1990 is often presented as a time of cultural resuscitation, marked by the revival of Queensland literary culture locally and a renegotiation of its place in the national literature. This change has been so complete--or at least so exciting to the locals--that by 5 September 2002, the following news item could appear on page eight of the giveaway weekly City News: