Malcolm Fraser
Malcolm Fraser was the twenty-second Prime Minister of Australia, serving from 1975 to 1983. Born on May 21, 1930, in Toorak, Victoria, he was educated at Melbourne Grammar School and later at Oxford University, where he developed an interest in politics. Fraser entered Australian politics in 1955, winning a seat in Parliament, and held various ministerial positions before becoming Prime Minister. His tenure is notable for significant reforms that promoted a multicultural Australia, including welcoming approximately 200,000 migrants from Asia, particularly from Vietnam, and advocating for Aboriginal land rights through landmark legislation.
Fraser actively campaigned against apartheid and fostered closer relations with countries in Southeast and East Asia, influencing Australia's diplomatic stance. After leaving office, he continued his work in human rights and social justice, holding various roles including chair of the United Nations Panel on Transnational Corporations in South Africa. Despite facing criticism for how he attained the premiership, his contributions to Australian society have been increasingly recognized over time. Fraser passed away on March 20, 2015, leaving behind a complex legacy that reflects both his political achievements and the contentious nature of his rise to power.
Malcolm Fraser
- Born: 21 May 1930
Politician
Place of birth: Toorak, Australia
Place of death: Unknown
Education: Oxford University
Significance: As the twenty-second prime minister of Australia, Malcolm Fraser reshaped Australian society. He fostered multiculturalism, promoted immigration, passed legislation on Aboriginal land rights, campaigned against apartheid and transformed Australia's relations with countries in South-East and East Asia. He continued to work for human rights and social justice after leaving office.
Background
Malcolm Fraser was born on 21 May 1930 in Toorak, Victoria, to pastoralist John Neville Fraser and Una Woolf Fraser. He had one older sister, Lorraine "Lorri." He spent his early years in Toorak, where he was mainly tutored by governesses until the age of ten. A sickly child, he spent the next three years at Tudor House, a boarding school in the mountains of New South Wales. The family moved to Western Victoria when he was thirteen, where his father established a large ranch, Nareen, near Hamilton. There he attended Melbourne Grammar School.
After completing secondary school, Fraser studied philosophy, politics and economics at Magdalen College, Oxford University, in the United Kingdom. It was there that he was first drawn to politics and liberalism and developed a desire to help make the world a better place. Upon graduating in 1952, Fraser returned to Australia, where he worked at Nareen and joined the Liberal Party of Australia.
Political Career
Fraser's first attempt for a seat in Parliament in 1954 was unsuccessful, but he won the seat of Wannon for the Liberal Party in the 1955 general election. At twenty-five years old, he was the youngest member of parliament (MP). He was re-elected in every successive election until he resigned from Parliament in 1983. Fraser held several portfolios while an MP. He was the minister for the army (1966–68), minister for education and science (1968–69; 1971–72) and minister for defence (1969–71). After the Liberals lost the government to the Australian Labor Party (ALP) in the 1972 election, Fraser was the shadow minister for industrial relations. In March 1975, he became the leader of the Opposition.
Dissatisfied with Prime Minister Gough Whitlam and his government, Fraser orchestrated a plan to force an early election. He instructed Liberals in the Senate to refuse to pass Whitlam's budget bill, which resulted in the government lacking the funds to operate. Governor-General John Kerr dismissed Whitlam and the houses of Parliament, inciting a constitutional crisis. He then appointed Fraser the interim prime minister, and Fraser took office on 11 November 1975. Fraser lost his caretaker status one month later when the Liberal Party–National Country Party coalition won the 13 December 1975 general election, with sound majorities in both chambers. The Liberals would go on to win the next two elections, with Fraser serving as prime minister until 11 March 1983.
As prime minister, Fraser embarked on a series of progressive reforms to create a more inclusive and just society. He promoted a multicultural Australia and his immigration policy provided refuge in Australia to nearly 200,000 migrants from Asia, about a quarter of whom were from Vietnam. He was instrumental in creating the Australian Institute of Multicultural Affairs in 1979.
A staunch advocate of human rights and self-determination, Fraser fought for the end of apartheid in South Africa and pushed for the independence of Zimbabwe (then Rhodesia). His government passed the Aboriginal Land Rights Act (Northern Territory) 1976 and the Northern Territory (Self Government) Act 1978. Other significant legislation during his three terms as prime minister includes the Ombudsman Act 1976, which instituted several governmental ombudsmen to investigate citizens' grievances; the Federal Court of Australia Act 1976, which created a federal court of appeal; the Aboriginal Development Commission Act 1980, which established a government body to provide funding for economic and social development for Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders; and the Human Rights Commission Act 1981. His government established a human rights commission and passed Australia's first freedom of information act in 1982.
Other achievements include establishing the Family Court in 1976, signing the Basic Treaty of Friendship and Co-Operation between Australia and Japan in 1976, establishing the multilingual Special Broadcasting Service in 1977, designating land for the Kakadu National Park in the Northern Territory in 1979 and enacting the Whale Protection Act 1980.
Fraser resigned the party leadership following the ALP's victory in the March 1983 election and retired from Parliament later that month. He was succeeded as prime minister by Bob Hawke.
After leaving office, Fraser continued to work in public affairs. He was an inaugural member of the InterAction Council for former heads of government in 1983 and later became its honorary chair. He served as the chair of the United Nations Panel of Eminent Persons on the Role of Transnational Corporations in South Africa (1985) and co-chaired the Commonwealth Eminent Persons against Apartheid in South Africa, which opened dialogue to prompt reform and end apartheid, from 1985 to 1986. In 1987 Fraser founded the Australian chapter of CARE International and was its chair until 2001. He was the president of CARE International from 1991 to 1995 and its vice-president from 1996 to 2000. In 2006, Fraser established the website Australians All as an outlet for political discourse, and resigned from the Liberal Party in 2009.
Fraser died on 20 March 2015 following a short illness.
Impact
Upon coming into office following a constitutional crisis that he helped to create, Fraser faced a deeply divided country. Despite making significant progressive reforms and being re-elected three times, public disdain for how he became prime minister often overshadowed his achievements. It was not until the 1990s that many Australians began to re-assess and recognise his accomplishments.
That historical interpretation has continued into the twenty-first century. While the ALP officially abolished the White Australia policy, it was Fraser who set in motion policies that created the multicultural society that Australia has become. In the mid-2010s, political sentiment opposing immigration threatened to revise, once again, how Australians view Fraser's legacy and the impact he has had on Australia and its relations with other countries.
Personal Life
Fraser married Tamara "Tamie" Margaret Beggs in 1956. They had four children: Mark, Angela, Hugh and Phoebe.
Bibliography
Farquharson, John, and Tony Eggleton. "Malcolm Fraser Obituary: Former Australian Prime Minister Dies Aged 84." Sydney Morning Herald, 20 Mar. 2015, http://www.smh.com.au/comment/obituaries/malcolm-fraser-obituary-former-australian-prime-minister-dies-aged-84-20150319-1m3mla.html. Accessed 18 June 2024.
Fraser, Malcolm, and Margaret Simons. Malcolm Fraser: The Political Memoirs. Melbourne UP, 2015. Google Books, https://books.google.com/books?id=zNfV6gBWGswC. Accessed 19 June 2024.
Lloyd, Peter. "Malcolm Fraser: Australia's 22nd Prime Minister Dies Aged 84." ABC News, 20 Mar. 2015, http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-03-20/malcolm-fraser-dies-after-short-illness/6334620. Accessed 19 June 2024.
"Malcolm Fraser." Prime Ministers of Australia. National Museum of Australia, 2003–15, https://www.nma.gov.au/explore/features/prime-ministers/malcolm-fraser#. Accessed 18 June 2024.
Zinn, Christopher. "Malcolm Fraser Obituary." The Guardian, 19 Mar. 2015, https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/mar/20/malcolm-fraser-obituary. Accessed 18 June 2024.