Fraser, Malcolm (1930-2015), served as prime minister of Australia from 1975 to 1983. Fraser, who was the leader of the Australian Liberal Party, succeeded Labor Party leader Gough Whitlam in the office.
Fraser’s administration began in controversy. Sir John Kerr, the governor general of Australia, dismissed Whitlam’s government in November 1975 after the Senate rejected the national budget. Kerr appointed Fraser prime minister and instructed him to form a temporary government until a general election could be held. Many Australians both inside and outside the government opposed Kerr’s action. In December 1975, the Liberal and National Country (now National) parties combined forces to win the election, and Fraser continued as prime minister. Fraser again led the combined Liberal and National Country parties to victory in general elections held in 1977 and 1980.
As prime minister, Fraser’s foreign policies gave priority to strengthening ties with the United States and the United Kingdom. During his time in office, he was dealing with a worldwide economic recession, and his domestic policy concentrated on limiting government spending and reducing inflation, even at the expense of increased unemployment. The unpopularity of some of these policies contributed to his coalition’s defeat by the Labor Party in the 1983 general election. Bob Hawke replaced Fraser as prime minister.
Early life and family
John Malcolm Fraser was born on May 21, 1930, in Toorak, near Melbourne. His grandfather, Sir Simon Fraser, was a leading political figure in Australia in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, serving in the Senate from 1901 to 1913. Malcolm Fraser attended Melbourne Grammar School from 1943 to 1948. He studied at Magdalen College at Oxford University in England from 1949 to 1952, earning a degree in politics and economics.
After graduating from Oxford, Fraser returned to Australia and settled on Nareen, a rural estate his parents owned in western Victoria. There, Fraser became a grazier (person who raises cattle) before entering politics.
On Dec. 9, 1956, Fraser married Tamara (Tamie) Margaret Beggs (born in 1936), whose family also owned a grazing property in western Victoria. The couple had four children, Mark (born in 1958), Angela (born in 1959), Hugh (born in 1963), and Phoebe (born in 1966).
Political career
In 1954, after joining the local branch of the Liberal Party, Fraser ran for the Wannon seat in the House of Representatives. He lost that election, but he ran again in December 1955 and won. At the age of 25, Fraser was the youngest member of the Parliament that opened on Feb. 15, 1956.
Career in Parliament.
Fraser served for 10 years in the House before Prime Minister Harold Holt appointed him Army minister in 1966. John Gorton became prime minister in 1968 and appointed Fraser minister for education and science. Neither ministry was a Cabinet-level post, however. Fraser finally became a member of the Cabinet in October 1969 when Gorton made him defence minister.
While defence minister, Fraser frequently disagreed with Gorton, and in 1971 Fraser accused Gorton of disloyalty in a conflict with Army officials. On March 8, 1971, Fraser resigned, a move that contributed to the fall of the Gorton government. William McMahon replaced Gorton as Liberal Party leader and prime minister and reappointed Fraser minister for education and science.
In 1972, the Liberal Party lost a federal election to the Labor Party, and Fraser became a member of the opposition. In 1974, Fraser wrote a newspaper article claiming that the Liberal Party had lost its sense of direction and needed a leader who would reestablish the party’s principles. Fraser challenged the leadership of party head Bill Snedden, and on March 21, 1975, Fraser defeated Snedden in an election for party leader. Fraser’s victory made him the leader of the opposition to the Labor Party government.
Prime minister.
On Nov. 11, 1975, Governor General Sir John Kerr dismissed Prime Minister Gough Whitlam. Kerr then appointed Fraser as temporary prime minister until a new election could be held. The next month, Fraser’s Liberal Party and its coalition partner, the National Party, won the 1975 general election. Together, they held a record majority of 91 seats in the 127-seat House of Representatives and 35 seats in the 64-seat Senate.
Fraser became prime minister during a troubled time in Australia’s economy. Like much of the Western world, the country was in a recession and was suffering from inflation and high unemployment. Fraser blamed the problems on heavy spending policies by the previous Labor government.
During his administration, Fraser placed more power in the office of prime minister, reducing the independence of public service workers and members of his own party. Fraser created what he called a “razor gang” to investigate ways to cut back on government functions. He reduced the number of government departments and introduced limits to the size of government staffs. He discontinued Medibank, the national health program established by the Labor government, and cut spending for education, social welfare, and unemployment benefits. Many of Fraser’s policies drew the hostility of government workers.
In foreign policy, Fraser was strongly anti-Communist. After the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in late 1979 and early 1980, Fraser pushed for a boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympic Games in Moscow—though an Australian team eventually did compete. Fraser supported civil rights internationally and severely criticized the South African government’s policy of racial segregation, called apartheid.
Fraser’s government had a great impact on Australian society by expanding immigration, including from Asia, and by continuing the Labor government’s policy of multiculturalism—that is, support for all cultures and ethnic backgrounds. The government also established resource centers for the immigrants and provided money for English language instruction and translator services.
Fraser called general elections in 1977 and 1980, winning both. However, he gradually drew criticism from inside and outside his party. Fraser battled the Australian media, which portrayed him as arrogant and ruthless. He clashed with Foreign Minister Andrew Peacock, who claimed Fraser had a heavy-handed style of governing. Peacock resigned from the Liberal government in protest over Fraser’s policies.
Fraser called a federal election in March 1983, but the Labor Party, led by Bob Hawke, won. Following the Liberal Party’s defeat, the Liberals elected Peacock the party leader. Fraser was easily reelected to the House of Representatives but some months later resigned his seat.
Later life
Fraser returned to the family farm at Nareen but still remained visible in political life and international affairs. For years, he criticized the leaders of the Liberal Party. In return, Fraser’s critics argued that his leadership failings had led to the Liberal Party’s defeat.
As a member of the Commonwealth Group of Eminent Persons, an international panel of experts who investigated apartheid in South Africa, Fraser worked to reform apartheid policies. He also called for the Australian government to apologize for the forced removal of many Aboriginal children from their homes between about 1870 and 1970. Fraser was a leader in the international aid organization Cooperative for American Relief Everywhere (CARE). He was chairman of CARE Australia from 1987 to 2002 and president of CARE International from 1990 to 1995.
Fraser discussed his views on national and international issues in Malcolm Fraser on Australia (1986). In 1988, Fraser was made a Companion of the Order of Australia. The Order of Australia is Australia’s highest award for service to the country or to humanity. Fraser died on March 20, 2015.
See also Australia, History of (The dismissal) .
