Malcolm Fraser: Former Australian PM dies aged 84

 

Former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser has died aged 84.

A statement from his office said Mr Fraser, who led the nation between 1975 and 1983, died after a short illness.
He became its leader in controversial circumstances, after the unprecedented dismissal of PM Gough Whitlam.



Once in office, he championed the rights of Indigenous Australians and refugees, a stance that put him on a collision course with his own party in later life.
The statement from his office said he "died peacefully in the early hours of the morning" on Friday.
"We appreciate that this will be a shock to all who knew and loved him, but ask that the family be left in peace at this difficult time," it added.
'Keen interest' The constitutional crisis that led to Mr Fraser becoming prime minister in 1975 formed an integral part of his image in Australia.
As leader of the opposition he blocked finance bills for government programmes, forcing Governor-General Sir John Kerr to dismiss Mr Whitlam as prime minister.
Mr Fraser was then appointed caretaker prime minister at the head of a Liberal-Country Party coalition government until an election in December, which he won by a landslide.
Gough Whitlam's dismissal shocked the country and, with Mr Whitlam calling on his supporters to "maintain your rage", sparked off protest strikes and violent demonstrations.