Flashback: How Russ Hinze came close to becoming premier just months before his downfall

EVERYONE knows Rob Borbidge was the Gold Coast’s first state premier. What most don’t realise is another Gold Coaster almost got the top job nine years earlier: Russ Hinze.

Russ Hinze in his office.

FOR A brief, shining moment in June 1987, it looked like the Gold Coast was about to become the seat of power for the state of Queensland and home to the premier.

This week has been filled with remembrance of the famous 1987 ABC Four Corners report The Moonlight State which helped initiate the Fitzgerald Inquiry and changed the state forever.

The inquiry lifted the lid on decades of corruption in the police force and the state’s long-time conservative government and brought down towering figures, including the premier himself, Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen.

Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen with Russ Hinze.

But before the fall came a period in mid-1987 when the premier’s long-time ally, Gold Coast-based MP Russ Hinze would succeed to the top job.

Sir Joh was away lobbying for his push to enter federal parliament and become Prime Minister and it was expected he would resign the premiership by July 1987.

Hinze promised “a bit of a sweep-out” if he succeed Sir Joh and would ‘very quickly’ introduce poker machines and legalise brothels.

“I’ve been knocked down a few times and got up,” the then-67-year-old said.

“With all the respect in the world to our leader, I think the state needs a bit of a sweep out.

In early June 1987 Hinze believed he was just weeks from becoming premier.

“I think it needs a change of atmosphere — a change of attitude.

“I’m not being disrespectful here, but the state itself needs to be seen in a different way.”

Hinze, who had been the South Coast MP for more than 20 years, said he was keen to see gambling laws change.

“I’ve got strong views on poker machines. I’ve got them on brothels and I’ve got them on all the other things. They’d be known very quickly.”

The disastrous 'Joh for PM' campaign.

He said both legalising prostitution and poker machine reform were “controversial issues that have to be dealt with in a 1987 period.”

With a Hinze premiership on the horizon, his fellow Gold Coast colleague, Albert MP Ivan Gibbs was confirmed as a candidate for deputy premier while others became aligned with Police Minister Bill Gunn.

But this grand plan lasted just two days, with Sir Joh confirming in a Gold Coast press conference on June 4, 1987 he would not seek a seat in parliament.

Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen announcing he would not be running for PM, on the Gold Coast. Picture: tommy Campion

“Time beat me,” he said.

Hinze bowed to the inevitable and threw his support behind the premier.

“I expect Sir Joh n to go until after Expo ‘88 — he may even go longer.

“I think the decision he made was the best one for both Australia and Queensland.”

Tensions within the National Party came to a head five months later, leading to a standoff in which Sir Joh attempted to sack his ministers but was himself forced to resign.

Hinze himself didn’t last much longer, dumped from cabinet by new premier Mike Ahern, he refused to sit on the backbench and boycotted parliament sittings.

Hinze was forced out of office following revelations at the Fitzgerald Inquiry.

After a failed push to become deputy premier in April 1988, explosive allegations were made against Hinze at the Inquiry, forcing his resignation from parliament on May 24, 1988.

Despite facing multiple charges, he never faced trial due to ill health.

Russ Hinze died on June 29, 1991.