Science Fair Project Encyclopedia
Fitzgerald Inquiry
The Fitzgerald Inquiry into Queensland police corruption was a judicial inquiry presided over by Tony Fitzgerald QC. The inquiry was established in response to a 4 Corners report entitled "Moonlight State" alleging high-level corruption involving both the police force and the then-Bjelke-Petersen government.
The Inquiry's early findings caused its terms of reference to be expanded to include a comprehensive investigation of long-term, systemic political corruption and abuse of power in Queensland. The inquiry would eventually outlive the Bjelke-Petersen government; evidence revealed by the investigation (including testimony from Bjelke-Petersen himself) caused significant political damage and an internal power struggle within the National Party, resulting in Bjelke-Petersen resigning as Premier after his unsuccessful attempt to have the Governor sack all of his minsters after they deposed him as party leader.
Based on the inquiry's final report, a number of high-profile politicians were charged with crimes; notably Queensland Police Commissioner (Sir) Terry Lewis was charged with corruption, and Bjelke-Petersen himself was charged with perjury for evidence given to the inquiry.
Lewis was convicted (and subsequently stripped of his knighthood), while the Bjelke-Petersen trial resulted in a hung jury amidst allegations that the jury foreman (later revealed to be the leader of the youth wing of Bjelke-Petersen's National Party) had misrepresented the state of deliberations to the judge. Bjelke-Petersen's trial was controversial enough to be the subject of a TV movie, "Joh's Jury" [1].
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