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Malcolm Fraser
Historical figureAustralia1930-2015

Malcolm Fraser

22nd Prime Minister of Australia (1975-1983) · Leader of the Liberal Party of Australia (1975-1983)

Australian Liberal prime minister from the 1975 crisis to 1983. He managed the economy cautiously, yet later stood out for backing refugees, multiculturalism and the campaign against apartheid.

Compare yourself See the 12 scores
Profile on 12 axes8 of 12 documented
ECONOMYSTATESOCIETYWORLDOwnershipMarketsWelfareAuthoritySecurityStructureMoralityReligionTechnologyCultureTradeForeign
Where they stood

Malcolm Fraser, axis by axis

  1. 01Ownership+30
    PublicPrivate
  2. 02Markets+20
    PlannedFree

    He spoke up for private enterprise and against socialism, but ran deficits and held off the deregulation his party's free-market wing demanded. The score leans only mildly to markets.

  3. 03Welfare+10
    SharedSelf-reliant
  4. 04Authority0
    DemocraticStrong leader

    His Senate block on supply in 1975 led to Whitlam's removal, yet in later life he became a notable defender of civil liberties. The score is at the middle.

  5. 05Security0
    LibertyOrder
  6. 06Structure-25
    LocalCentral

    He criticised the drift of power to Canberra and gave the Northern Territory its own government, so the score leans local.

  7. 07MoralityNo clear record
    ProgressiveTraditional
  8. 08ReligionNo clear record
    SecularReligious
  9. 09TechnologyNo clear record
    EmbraceCaution
  10. 10Culture-55
    MulticulturalNational identity

    Tens of thousands of Indochinese refugees were let in under him, SBS was set up, and he spoke for multiculturalism. That is an unusual record for a conservative leader.

  11. 11TradeNo clear record
    GlobalProtected

    The sources give no clear view on tariffs, other than complaints that he failed to deregulate, so this axis is null.

  12. 12Foreign policy+10
    CooperationStrength

4 axes have no clear record, so matching leaves them out.

Who was Malcolm Fraser?

Malcolm Fraser grew up on a Victorian grazing property and studied at Oxford. Aged 25, he won the Wannon seat in 1955. He later served as army minister while Australia fought in Vietnam. In 1975 he became Liberal leader and led the Senate in blocking the Whitlam government's budget. When Governor-General Sir John Kerr removed Whitlam, Fraser took over as caretaker prime minister and then won a landslide in December. He governed until Bob Hawke defeated him in 1983. In 2009 he left the Liberals. He died in 2015.

Political views

  • Fought the 1975 campaign against heavy taxes, budget deficits, regulation and the growing power of Canberra.Source: moadoph.gov.au
  • Held that inflation would only be beaten if business was encouraged to invest and create jobs.Source: moadoph.gov.au
  • Promised that Medibank and free university places would stay, and that welfare budgets would be guarded against rising prices.Source: moadoph.gov.au
  • Promised land rights laws for the Northern Territory and support for migrant languages and cultures.Source: moadoph.gov.au
  • Welcomed over 56,000 refugees after Vietnam and established SBS, which broadcasts in many languages.Source: theguardian.com
  • Campaigned against South African apartheid and against white minority government in Rhodesia.Source: theguardian.com
  • Backed the US alliance strongly, and supported the boycott of the Moscow Olympics in 1980.Source: en.wikipedia.org
  • Resigned from the Liberal Party in 2009, arguing it had stopped being liberal and become just conservative.Source: theguardian.com

Legacy

Supporters give Fraser credit for settling the country after 1975, welcoming refugees and Asian migrants, supporting Aboriginal land rights and multiculturalism, and helping lead the Commonwealth drive against apartheid. Blocking supply and the removal of Whitlam remain the most argued-over part of his record, and opponents say he manipulated the Governor-General. Economic liberals within his party later described his term as a wasted decade, noting high unemployment and inflation and his unwillingness to deregulate. Once out of office he attacked both big parties over asylum seekers, civil liberties and Iraq, and joined Whitlam in supporting an Australian republic.

In their own words

“Australia needs change. Australia needs reform. Australia needs idealism. Australia does not need socialism.”
Federal election policy speech, 1975

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Malcolm Fraser: questions

What was Malcolm Fraser's part in the 1975 dismissal?

As opposition leader he had the Coalition block the government's money bills in the Senate. Governor-General Sir John Kerr then sacked Whitlam and appointed Fraser to run a caretaker government. Fraser won the vote that followed.

Was Malcolm Fraser a conservative?

As prime minister he was a careful economic conservative. Over time he moved toward refugees, multiculturalism and civil liberties, and he said the Liberal Party had stopped being liberal.

Why did Fraser quit the Liberal Party?

He left in 2009. In his view the party had turned its back on liberal values and become a conservative one.

Sources