Confirmation of Candidature - Candidate : Michael Stockwell

Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen was premier of Queensland for nineteen years, a period which is widely regarded to have been an era of conservatism and widespread corruption. The era was also characterised by the repression and brutalisation of homosexual men. While Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen's term ended in 1987, the legacy of his government's brutalisation and repression continues to impact on the lives of homosexual men who survived this time.

The aim of this research is to explore how this regime impacted the lives of homosexual men, with a particular focus on understanding how it continues to shape and influence how older gay men engage with legal and administrative systems and services in the present.  This thesis will contribute to a burgeoning body of research on LGBTQIA+   history in Australia.  It combines legal and social history methodologies to examine historic legal and administrative interaction between homosexual men and the Queensland State Government, and its continued impact on those that were affected by it.

For more information, please email the Graduate Research School or phone 0746 311088.