Rob Borbidge

His parents owned a sheep property and were attracted to Queensland by Premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen's abolition of death duties, moving to the Gold Coast.As a sign of this, in 1980 Borbidge contested and won the seat of Surfers Paradise from sitting Liberal member Bruce Bishop, who had alleged corruption in property development by the Bjelke-Petersen government.By the late 1980s, the scandal of the extreme corruption revealed by the Fitzgerald Inquiry had engulfed Bjelke-Petersen, who was replaced as Premier and National Party leader in 1987 by Mike Ahern.Borbidge, as a member of the new generation of Nationals untouched by political scandal, was promoted by Ahern to Cabinet as Minister for Small Business, Communications and Technology.The Goss government's fortunes suffered a sharp reversal when it announced plans to construct a bypass through areas of bushland that comprised significant reserves of koala habitats.The Court of Disputed Returns ordered a reballot after alleged irregularities in the narrowly Labor held electorate of Mundingburra, which the Coalition had lost by only 12 votes.Borbidge also supported Howard in his efforts to reform Australian gun ownership laws after the Port Arthur massacre, a move that brought him unpopularity in some traditional National Party quarters.The matter was referred to the Criminal Justice Commission (CJC), a body that had been established on the recommendation of the Fitzgerald Inquiry and one that was regarded poorly both by the National Party and the Queensland Police.Retired New South Wales Supreme Court judge Kenneth Carruthers was appointed to lead the inquiry, which also investigated an allegedly improper agreement between the Labor Party and the Sporting Shooters' Association.In the lead-up to the 1998 election, intense speculation surrounded the role that the new One Nation Party, formed in April 1997 by Queensland federal MP Pauline Hanson, would play.The cynical mood in the electorate that Borbidge had harnessed to win office now began to turn against him, as he endeavoured to satisfy both the hard-line conservatives deserting the Nationals, and the urban Liberal supporters who detested Hanson and her views.Borbidge was featured on the 23 April 2013 episode of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart for his stance on gun control following the Port Arthur massacre.
The HonourablePremier of QueenslandElizabeth IILeneen FordePeter ArnisonJoan SheldonWayne GossPeter BeattieLeader of the Opposition in QueenslandMike HoranLawrence SpringborgBrian LittleproudKev LingardRussell CooperQueensland National PartyBill GunnGeoff MuntzPat CombenPoliceEmergency ServicesMike AhernVince LesterTony FitzGeraldBob GibbsPeter McKechnieHuan FraserQueensland Legislative AssemblySurfers ParadiseBruce BishopLex BellAraratVictoriaNational PartyMotelierQueenslandOne Nation PartyPauline HansonArarat, VictoriaJoh Bjelke-PetersenGold CoastLiberal PartyFitzgerald InquiryCabinetLabor PartyCoalitionCriminal Justice Commission1992 electionGoss governmentprotest voteKeatingLegislative AssemblyMundingburraFrank Tantisubsequent by-electionhung parliamentLiz CunninghamGladstoneBorbidge governmentAustralian Workplace AgreementsJohn HowardPort Arthur massacreHigh Court of AustraliaNative titleWik decisionTreasurerSupreme Court of Queenslandno confidenceDenver Beanlandmulticulturalismhow-to-vote cardsAustralian electoral systemPeter WellingtonJim Elder2001 state electionThe Daily Show with Jon StewartLifeFlightWayback MachineGreen, AntonyAustralian Broadcasting CorporationParliament of QueenslandMember for Surfers ParadiseLeader of the National Party in QueenslandPremiers of QueenslandHerbertMacalisterMackenzieLilleyPalmerDouglasMcIlwraithGriffithMoreheadNelsonByrnesDicksonDawsonMorganKidstonDenhamTheodoreGilliesMcCormackF. CooperHanlonNicklinPizzeyBjelke-PetersenR. CooperBeattieNewmanPalaszczukCrisafulliVowlesCooperSpringborgSeeney