Joh for Canberra

The Joh for Canberra or Joh for PM campaign was the 1987 attempt of the Queensland branch of the National Party of Australia to install Queensland Premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen as Prime Minister of Australia.

Spectacularly misguided, it had the effect of splitting the federal Liberal-National Coalition and allowing the Labor government of Bob Hawke to win another term. The campaign weakened the conservative forces both nationally and within Queensland, and resulted in severe internal divisions within the Queensland branch of the National Party. Labor's federal electoral victory, reliant on gains of seats in Queensland, was attributed to the Joh for PM campaign: "We couldn't have done it without Joh", state secretary Peter Beattie remarked.