Paul Reynolds

Interviewed by
Maree Stanley, Roger Scott & Chris Salisbury
Nov 30 2011
Paul Reynolds

Paul Reynolds is a widely-published academic and political commentator on national and state politics with a career spanning over 30 years.

Biography
Time Summary Keywords
00:00:06

Paul Reynolds discusses his early life and identifies his father's background as a Christian socialist and his own interest in the humanities as significant early influences. He also discusses his passion for teaching.
00:03:25

Paul Reynolds observes that Queensland's political history starts in 1957 with the ALP split. He discusses the power and subsequent demise of Jack Egerton at this time.

 Jack Egerton
00:05:24

Paul Reynolds outlines the events leading up to the 1980 federal intervention and comments generally on the state of the Queensland  ALP branch prior to intervention, in particular the factions in the party.

 Bill Hayden, Denis Murphy, Peter Beattie
00:06:40

Paul Reynolds discusses the change in the demographics of ALP candidates, particularly tertiary educated professionals with working-class backgrounds, in the 1983 election who helped modernise the Queensland Branch of the ALP.

 1983 election, 1989 election
00:07:31

Paul Reynolds discusses the Nicklin leadership of the Country Party. He comments on the strategic alliance for candidate nominations between the Country Party and the Liberal Party and the difference between metropolitan and rural electorates.

 Francis Nicklin
00:09:14

Paul Reynolds discusses the tensions between the National Party and Liberal Party and the significance of the Public Accounts Committee for the Liberal Party and its leadership.

 Angus Innes, Joh Bjelke-Petersen, Llew Edwards, Public Accounts Committee, Robert Sparkes, Terry White
00:12:25

Paul Reynolds discusses the political fortunes of the Liberal Party and concludes that they did not obtain any real power until the Borbidge Government and the Mundingburra by-election in 1996. He notes the split between the Liberals and Nationals and their respectively weak positions which led to the LNP merger in 2007.

 Borbidge Government 1996-98, Liberal-National Party split, One Nation
00:13:15

Paul Reynolds outlines the ALP political and committee reform agenda that occurred in the 1990s.

 One Nation
00:14:00

Paul Reynolds discusses the relationship between ministers, public servants and ministerial advisers. He notes the appointment of ministers by the premier and the significant influence of the ministerial office.

 Anna Bligh, David Hamill, ministerial advisers, Peter Beattie
00:18:17

Paul Reynolds notes the differences in ministerial conduct between the Queensland governments and the increased reliance on the public service in the Bjelke-Petersen government.

 Beryl Young, Bjelke-Petersen Government 1968-87, Joh Bjelke-Petersen, relationship with public service
00:22:02

Paul Reynolds discusses Wayne Goss's reform agenda, including his focus on the public service. He highlights that Goss's reform agenda coincided with the Fitzgerald Inquiry and notes the significant impact the PSMC had on the public service.

 Fitzgerald Inquiry, Neville Warburton, Peter Coaldrake, Public Sector Management Commission, public sector reform, Wayne Goss
00:25:10

Paul Reynolds comments on his role as a political commentator, particularly within regional Queensland. He also comments on his role as an academic.
00:29:33

Paul Reynolds discusses the LNP merger and notes the internal state and federal forces influencing the merger. He discusses the possible outcomes for the LNP after the next State election.

 Joh for Canberra, John Howard, Lawrence Springborg
00:33:32

Paul Reynolds outlines the rise of Campbell Newman to Leader of the LNP. He briefly discusses the significance of National Party member, Earle Bailey, winning the safe Liberal seat of Toowong.

 Bob Tucker, Campbell Newman, Ian Prentice, Jeff Seeney
00:36:33

Paul Reynolds discusses the implications of having an Opposition Leader not in the Parliament and briefly mentions the 2012 election.

 2012 election, Campbell Newman, Kate Jones
00:37:15

Paul Reynolds observes significant improvements in the Queensland Parliament since the Bjelke-Petersen years. He notes the lack of Opposition in parliament and role of the media in this.

 committee system, Joh Bjelke-Petersen, media
00:40:04

Paul Reynolds discusses the role of Parliament, as defined under the Westminster system, in the context of Queensland. He discusses the lessons from corruption after the Bjelke-Petersen era.

 Bjelke-Petersen Government 1968-87, committee system, Westminster system
00:42:26

Paul Reynolds comments on the Smart State initiative. He notes Beattie's education reform and funding agenda which attempted to move Queensland away from mining and agriculture to education and technology.

 Peter Beattie, Smart State
00:46:46

Paul Reynolds discusses the strategic planning of previous governments and compares these with the Beattie Government.

 David Hamill, Goss Government 1989-96, Russ Hinze
00:49:05

Paul Reynolds outlines the rise of One Nation and the significance of Pauline Hanson to the Labor reform agenda. He notes that the development of Smart State rhetoric was an attempt to include the wider Queensland population within the government's reform agenda.

 One Nation, Pauline Hanson, Peter Beattie, Smart State, Wayne Goss
00:51:14

Paul Reynolds comments on the influence of interest groups on policy development within Queensland. He notes the different types of groups and the influence of the policy agenda from the party in power. He details the significance of populism in Queensland.

 Dean Wells, police union
00:57:07

Interview ends
Position:
Other
Decade:
1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s
Sound byte: 

Paul Reynolds

Biography

Paul Reynolds

Paul Reynolds is a widely-published academic and political commentator on national and state politics with a career spanning over 30 years.

Paul Reynolds completed an undergraduate degree in History and Masters in Political Science at the University of Auckland, before moving to Australia to complete his PhD at the University of Melbourne.

From 1974-2007 Reynolds was employed in the School of Political Science and International Studies at the University of Queensland. His research and teaching focused on Queensland politics including parliament, parties, leaders and electoral behaviour. He has also been a political commentator. He has anchored Channel 7’s election night coverage and developed a profile within regional Queensland, offering frequent commentary and analysis via the Australian Broadcasting Corporation to regional areas. Reynolds has also been widely published, including three books and numerous articles. A large collection of his unpublished research papers are held in the Reynolds’ Collection in the Fryer and Parliamentary libraries.

Reynolds has also served as the Chair and member of the Executive Board of the Australasian Study of Parliament Group (APSG), Queensland Chapter, a non-partisan body established to encourage and stimulate research, writing and teaching about parliamentary institutions in Australia. After retiring from his position at the University of Queensland in 2007, Reynolds works as an Honorary Research Fellow at the Queensland Parliamentary Library. 

Copyright © The Centre for the Government of Queensland, the University of Queensland, 2012.

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Associated interviews: 
Colin Hughes