ACA - Jana Wendt and Premier Joh Bjelke Peterson 1989

throughout the two years of the Fitzgerald inquiry so Joe Bianca Peterson steadfastly maintained that he'd been unaware of the extent of corruption in Queensland and rejected any suggestion of dishonesty in his own affairs we get the same denials in this book so Joe's autobiography which has just been released the former premier agreed to this interview so Joe thank you very much for your time this evening together so Joe you cease to be premiere two-and-a-half years ago yes and yet your presence still hangs heavily over state and federal politics how much longer do you want to loom over the political scene I don't want to loom over at all I'm trying to get out of it I'm in business now but that is people like you Jana who dragged me back occasionally and I will leave them well do the things I want to do the way they want to do it I've been there I've done that so Joe in your book you liken yourself to a porcupine sticking in a go Anna's throat it's true isn't it that they can't swallow you nor can they spit you out no Jana there's a grater in the museum if you want to see it just like that he tried to swallow the porcupine that's what they thought they could do with me and it doesn't work they well fooled themselves and of course made a mess of it they thought that they could very in a very simple exercise replace me I'd go away I disappear and that would be the end of it and they go from strength to strength they do exactly the opposite they went the opposite way and they were so well they weren't very bright were they put it that way so Joe your critics would say that despite your professed Christian values yes you're not good at turning the other cheek that you are in fact a very vindictive man what do you say to that I'm not a vindictive man at all I'm a positive man and I and there's no way in the world that I all want to let people trample my toes kick me in the shin see for a long time Jana I put it this way I said everybody that walked past me in the political arena gave me a good hard kick in the shins and I've often said I've got no more skin left on my shins simply because everybody want to kick me until I realized that you've got to look after yourself nobody else will it's not being vindictive it's being positive it's being strong and well giving a direction that's all I didn't ever wanted to do you've certainly been thrashing around for a while you say that you cost the coalition the 87 election that the repercussions of Fitzgerald's exposure of corruption in your state caused them this election well no what do you say Jana that's of course as you know a lot of nonsense because there's corruption every in every state far more even than an hour stay you take how the government is involved in Western Australia in Victoria having a look back at Fitzgerald's revelations about your state you must be embarrassed and worried upset any of us well the main thing is Jana naturally I did not know if as you can understand what went on but on the other hand yes I was very disappointed I was couldn't believe it for a long time these sort of things have been going on but they've been going on as these these very men have said for 29 years well so Joe you're at great pains to assure us that you are an honest man yet your honesty has been seriously challenged hasn't it no in which way which way do you mean that well this program for instance presented compelling evidence that you accepted bribes no no no no no I don't know where you get that from from Jana when you talk about corruption air those things I don't want to tell you something that you and your people I'll talk to you and let it at a later date on corruption in a place at a time you probably won't like but you know that and there's no need for me to mention here today that is not true Jana and you you're getting a gain on very very dangerous ground when you start talking in that area because that's one area I will not accept or tolerate well so Joe that the allegations remain on the public record that did you took bribes from your friends so Leslie T's whatever do about those allegations yeah and I that's the one I'm just telling you I am going to talk or we are going to talk to you and your people at a time and a place that you are not of you're not of your preference what exactly do you mean by that well if you're clever you can work it out there no need for me to tell you that now that is not true you know it's not right so legal proceedings against us continues and you that's correct alright well the allegations that we made then and we make still is that you received bribes for use on your property bribes like a hanger like costly equipment repairs like vehicles from solez Latisse so Joe what do you say to those elegant I say they are a very simple thing you are completely and utterly wrong as we will show very shortly at the appropriate time at the appropriate place that I've told you on and and nothing has been proved they have been looking at it for a long time Jana you are wrong who has been looking at it for a long time so we inquiry people investigating people would it surprise you to know that the people who worked for Searle is Latisse say that it was common knowledge that you had this kind of material delivered to your property Jana you are wrong you should first of all have a very close look at the people you're talking to you we will you will learn all about that at that place where you won't be very happy at being later on well let me ask you bluntly did you ever accept gifts bribes from solicitous no Jana I'm not going to continue in that argument they in the sense that it is completely and utterly untrue and wrong and you will fight that out later Jana you are wrong the allegation made against you by a number of people who worked for solicitous who claimed they delivered these goods to you is that you had an arrangement with him to receive these kinds of things as required Jana you know very well that you I you've got your foot on the sticky paper you're trying to make the most of it to make your sort of reputation and name and get people to look at I said tell you Jana that is not true you are completely untruthful in saying that that statement because it didn't happen and we can easily prove it and we will prove it why don't you prove it to me now well hey you won't believe anyway and this is not the time I will prove it to you and you will have to substantiate your things your statements at the appropriate time I'm prepared to substantiate mine now how about you sir Jo well you can't substantiate that's that's where you're wrong again you cannot substantiate it well you saw you saw the evidence in our story didn't you you saw the people who claim to have delivered a hangar yes vehicles to you you saw that you just believe that that evidently is not true they pulled your leg I pulled your leg they did not do that Your Honor I would suggest to you you want to wake up to yourself that never happened Jana you see me sitting here telling to you they never delivered the hangar they never built a hare the bastard is did you ever receive anything from solez Lee that could have been misinterpreted perhaps as a bride no there is nothing that I received from where's thesis it could be interpreted as a bribe that is not true Jana you're only trying to build your stocks up by using me like so many others have you've tried to climb on my back once again through this program you I was told that you were going to speak to me about your book I again you have diverted from the original arrangement that were made and that was to talk to you about the book but then I wouldn't expect anything else from you Jana by your record as I've seen it recently well what do you mean by that well you work it out for yourself well I really can't see Jo you've made the claim you tell me well that you're saying things that are not true Leonie you ought to know that you're to at least be careful the people you talk to who get these things that's where you're going to get little for shock of your life well as I say I'm ready and willing to hear your side of the story this is why I've taken the opportunity to ask you about it well I'm telling you I own a you hear me I'm telling you you it is not true you have gone up a dry gully you say in your book that solez Leigh teases the businessman you most admire how do you respond to allegations that he and his company cheated the Queensland taxpayer by writing off work done for his own family against Queensland government projects no yeah look how do I know anything about what you do I all I know is you you can't stick to the truth a lot you get waylaid and go up dry gullies occasionally like you have but how will I know what less seasoned somebody else does well you say that he is the businessman you most admire why are you willing now to back his integrity I back there sees as one of the great men of this state as I said in the book she said it freely and knowingly knowing that a you and people like you might say the things you say but less sees has contributed more to this state in a physical sense the roads the bridges the opening of coal the cold industry he pioneered all that those sort of things well what about this particular claim that I've just made to you what do you think of that well that's before the court to lolly you shouldn't be talking about either the events you're talking about because they're before they will be before the courts you know well so Joe I know that there's nothing barring as having this conversation and here's your opportunity to put your feelings on the record well I tell you you're wrong again Yardley just don't try and miss much that character names of people by this sort of stuff it's a Joe on the one hand you complain that you get bad treatment for the media and yet when I openly put these things to you and give you the opportunity of defending yourself if you like you turn the request down now I look young I'm telling you you are wrong it is not true what more can I say Yardley you are trying to claim and my back so that you can get your ratings up and the sort of stuff I know you're backwards now you're not what I thought you were when you resort to this sort of tactics of trying to dis much the character of pic characters of different people so Joe you quote the words of your brother in your book who said to you before he died never sell your soul for filthy lucre that's true yes can you honestly say now that you heeded his warning yes I did I have I left a million dollars behind my superannuation I didn't take it were you going to do the same I gave a lot of my salary away in the early years particularly in back in the electorate people know that that's on record and these sort of things and in every other regard your conscience is clear absolutely absolutely it's only people like you who try to make it look otherwise where you don't really realize what you're talking about you are completely wrong well so Joe obviously investigations of your affairs continue by the special prosecutor simply because they can't find anything do you expect to be charged no I don't expect each other the last thing and if they attempt to a in any way misconstrued things there's no way in the world they can prove anything because I have not acted that way I have not acted in the way that you are trying to suggest to this audience you're wrong so Joe we'll leave it there theater Alma Queensland Premier surgery elke Peterson coming up Ozzie girls carving out a career in the competitive world of international modeling

Channel: Matthew Carden

Views: 93,862

Rating: 4.8177676 out of 5

Keywords: Jana, wendt, affair, joh, bjelke, peterson, queensland, Premier, 1989, current, ACA, Nine, network, Australia, A Current Affair (TV Program), Johannes Joh Bjelke-Petersen (Politician)

Id: RuAVO0jSW5U

Length: 11min 37sec (697 seconds)

Published: Sun Mar 30 2014