PARLIAMENTARY REPORT


AUSTRALIA


FORMER PRIME MINISTER MALCOLM FRASER DIES


Former Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser dies at 84 A titan of Australian politics, the Rt Hon. John Malcolm Fraser AC, CH died on 20 March 2015 aged 84. In 1955 he was elected to Parliament as the Liberal Member for Wannon aged 25 and was appointed as a Cabinet Minister in 1966. In 1975 he was elected Leader of the Opposition which led to his historic battle against the Labor Government led by the then Prime Minister, Hon. Edward Gough Whitlam. The Whitlam Government was damaged by a series of scandals, resignations, ministerial reshuffles and increasing pressure on the economy arising from the oil shock of 1974 which led to rising inflation and unemployment. Mr Fraser played a high risk game by deciding to use his Senate numbers to block the government’s supply bills in an attempt to make Whitlam call an early election which he refused to do declaring that it was unconstitutional for the Senate to decide who should hold government. This deadlock between the government and opposition continued until 11 November 1975 when the then Governor- General Sir John Kerr, in a highly controversial act, used ‘reserve powers’ in the Constitution to dismiss Whitlam’s government. The Governor-General then installed Mr Fraser as a caretaker Prime Minister who immediately called an election which he went onto win handsomely. Mr Fraser went on to win a further two


134 | The Parliamentarian | 2015: Issue Two


elections finally losing to Bob Hawke in March 1983. In government, Mr Fraser is best


recognised for his humanitarian efforts and progressive policies on race and immigration. Domestically, Mr Fraser advanced land rights for Indigenous Australians and internationally campaigned to abolish apartheid in South Africa. In managing the economy, Mr


Fraser introduced expenditure cuts, streamlined the public service and provided responsible economic management. However, the economic rationalists of the party believe he should have gone further by introducing more far reaching economic reform such as currency deregulation and opening up the financial sector to more competition. In retirement, Mr Fraser grew


increasingly distant from the Liberal Party in which he was a life member. In particular, he was critical of certain policies of the Liberal Howard Government noting its alignment with the foreign policy of the United States and domestically the introduction of harsh asylum seeker policies. In relation to the modern Liberal Party, Mr Fraser stated that “the departures from the principles underlining that Liberal Party are substantial and serious. The party has become a party of fear and reaction. It is conservative and not liberal. It has not led positive directions, it has allowed and, some would say, promoted race and religion to be party of today’s agenda. I find it unrecognisable as liberal.” In 2010 Mr Fraser quit the Liberal Party.


On 23 March both the House


of Representatives and the Senate moved condolence motions in relation to the death of Mr Fraser. The Prime Minister, Hon. Tony


Abbott MP, commented that “it is fitting that we celebrate the life and legacy of our 22nd Prime Minister here in this chamber, because this very building is one of his achievements. He was prepared to endure gibes about politicians spending money on themselves because he understood that Australians would come to appreciate a Parliament House that reflected our pride in ourselves and in our country.” Mr Abbott noted that “Fraser was not an avid social reformer like Whitlam, nor a mould- breaking economic reformer like Hawke, but he gave the country what we needed at that time. He restored economic responsibility while recognising social change. His government passed the Northern Territory land rights act and he was the first Prime Minister to visit the Torres Strait. He established the Special Broadcasting Service and began large-scale Asian immigration to Australia by accepting 50,000 Vietnamese refugees fleeing communism. In 1983 Malcolm Fraser left parliament, proud of his government and its achievements. As he said at the time, ‘Australia is handed over in as good or better condition than any other western country in the world.’” The Leader of the Opposition, Hon. Bill Shorten MP, commented “We give thanks for Malcolm Fraser’s six decades of service to our nation as a


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