 Still only a Senior Constable after 19 years on the force, on 24 July 1971, Don Lane entered parliament as the Liberal member for Merthyr, which included the Fortitude Valley area.For the 1983 Queensland State Election, Premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen was determined to win power for the National Party outright.Terry White had beaten Llew Edwards for leadership of the Liberal Party, and White was part of the Ginger Group (Queensland) which opposed the Government on a number of issues.