An unconventional trade proposal from a Romanian communist leader and plans for a Queensland spaceport were just some of the matters Queensland's cabinet considered during 1987.
The 30-year release of state cabinet documents reveal the last stages of the Bjelke-Petersen era were peppered with pie-in-the-sky suggestions coupled with the relentless grind of mountains of busywork.
Cabinet considered 2811 submissions throughout the year, often making decisions on more than 50 submissions in a single sitting, many presented with no warning.
In February cabinet considered plans for an international space port to be based in Cape York. $300,000 was set aside for a feasibility study, which gave the go-ahead for the project.
However, the project became mired in an indigenous land rights claim, and failed to attract any major business interest, leading to it being quietly shelved in the early 1990s.
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Many of the year's cabinet meetings touched on the state of the Queensland economy, which was in a worse position than many remember, with unemployment at 11 per cent.
For the first time, Queensland's stance of being the "low tax state" was questioned, and proposals for public sector training and support programs were put forward.
A proposal to build world's tallest building continued to be considered, after being first put forward the previous year.
The proposal proved contentious in cabinet, and was a constant distraction for Bjelke-Petersen in the final months of his time in office before also being shelved once he was ousted.
Cabinet routinely discussed multiple defamation suits and other legal action being conducted on behalf of the Bjelke-Petersen government against political opponents and media outlets.
And the cabinet discussed a proposal to sell two million tonnes of coal to Romania, following a trade mission led by Bjelke-Petersen to the country, which was ruled at the time by communist leader Nicolae Ceausescu.
The Romanians did not have the money to pay for the coal but offered to barter for it with goods including fertiliser, steel and trains.
Cabinet rejected the offer, but only because it couldn't find companies willing to take the goods in lieu of cash.
Ceausescu and his wife ended up taking up Bjelke-Petersen's offer to visit Expo 88 the following year and were guests of honour, in one of their final public appearances before being executed by firing squad following a coup in Romania in 1989.
