Paul Keating | prime minister of Australia | Britannica.com prime minister of Australia Alternative Title: Paul John Keating Paul Keating Paul Keating, in full Paul John Keating (born Jan. 18, 1944, Sydney , N.S.W., Austl.), politician who was leader of the Australian Labor Party and prime minister of Australia from December 1991 to March 1996. Paul Keating. Cynthia Johnson/Gamma Liaison Growing up in working-class Bankstown, a suburb of Sydney, Keating left school at age 14. He became involved in trade union activity and labour politics and was elected in 1969 to the House of Representatives at age 25. Acquiring a reputation for both pointed political invective and party loyalty, he was chosen by Prime Minister Robert Hawke to be federal treasurer in 1983. Keating became a stellar performer, making his mark with a blend of earthy attacks on his opponents and high-level explanations and lectures on the more arcane aspects of economics.

In 1991, while Australia struggled with economic recession, Hawke became embroiled in a leadership battle with Keating for control of the Labor Party and the office of the prime minister. On Dec. 19, 1991, Hawke called for a party vote and lost by a small margin to Keating (56–51). As prime minister, Keating inaugurated financial programs aimed at national recovery. He was reelected prime minister in 1993 as the economy regained strength, but his government was defeated by a coalition of the Liberal Party and the National Party in the elections of March 2, 1996, ending 13 years of rule by the Labor Party. Keating became a successful business consultant after his political career.

Learn More in these related articles: Malcolm Fraser, former Australian prime minister, dies aged 84 | Australia news | The Guardian Malcolm Fraser Malcolm Fraser, former Australian prime minister, dies aged 84 The former Liberal leader, prime minister from 1975 to 1983, won three elections but eventually left the party after becoming disillusioned with its direction Malcolm Fraser had an enduring role in public life long after he finished as prime minister. Link to video. Katharine Murphy Deputy political editor and Michael Safi Thursday 19 March 2015 19.03 EDT Last modified on Wednesday 26 October 2016 19.26 EDT Close This article is 1 year old The former Australian prime minister Malcolm Fraser has died at the age 84, after a brief illness. His death was confirmed in a short statement from his office on Friday. “It is with deep sadness that we inform you that after a brief illness John Malcolm Fraser died peacefully in the early hours of the morning of 20 March 2015,” it said.

“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.” Fraser served as prime minister from 11 November 1975 to 11 March 1983. He came to power after the dismissal of Gough Whitlam’s Labor government – having first triggered a constitutional crisis by engineering deadlock in the Senate. Malcolm Fraser, former Australian prime minister, has died aged 84 - rolling coverage Read more Fraser refused to pass the Whitlam government’s budget bills through the upper house in late 1975. That parliamentary deadlock led to the governor general, John Kerr, sacking Whitlam as prime minister in November 1975. Fraser was appointed caretaker prime minister and, despite considerable community controversy and tumult, went on to win the federal election in December in a landslide. Fraser’s death on Friday comes five months after the death of Whitlam. Despite the deep antagonisms and partisan divisions of 1975, Fraser and Whitlam eventually came to terms and formed an enduring friendship.

In office, Fraser was a staunch conservative on economic policies, an opponent of deregulation – and he was was criticised by his colleagues for lacking reform zeal. But he continued many of Labor’s progressive reforms. In 1976 he established the family court of Australia and federal court of Australia; granted the Northern Territory self-government; passed the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act; created the position of federal ombudsman and established the ABC’s FM radio service. The next year, he established the National Aboriginal Conference and SBS. In 1979 the Fraser government established the Australian Refugee Advisory Council to advise it on the settlement of refugees – many of whom had been arriving as “boat people” from Vietnam since 1978. After criticising the Liberal party’s direction during the years of the Howard government, Fraser finally quit the party when Tony Abbott came to the opposition leadership, unhappy with Abbott’s rejection of emissions trading. He said the Liberal party was no longer a liberal party but instead a conservative party. Fraser campaigned assiduously for human rights and attacked the party’s stance on immigration and refugees. Abbott on Friday noted that Fraser, “in a long and active retirement, maintained a keen interest in our country’s direction”.

Link to video: Malcolm Fraser ‘restored economically responsible government’, says Tony Abbott. The prime minister said Fraser’s actions during the dismissal had been vindicated by subsequent events. “The constitutional crisis of 1975 was one of the defining political events of our nation,” he said. “Malcolm Fraser held true to the belief that his actions were in the best interests of Australia. He was determined to ‘turn on the lights’ and restore Australia’s economic fortunes. The greatest win in Australian political history confirms that he had correctly read the mood of the public. “The friendship he built in later life with Gough Whitlam spoke volumes about the character of both men at the centre of the crisis: in their own different ways, they were both fierce Australian patriots.” The Liberal Philip Ruddock, who was in the parliament in the Fraser era, said: “Those who recall the manner of his election discouragingly should remember Malcolm as a liberal on issues of race and human rights.” The Liberal party’s federal director, Brian Loughnane, said Fraser was “one of the giants of Australian politics and a seminal figure in the life of our nation”. The foreign minister, Julie Bishop, praised Fraser’s record on foreign policy.

The treasurer, Joe Hockey, characterised Fraser as a man of strong principles who had “restored stability after a period of great upheaval”. The former Fraser government minister Fred Chaney said: “I think Australia has lost one of its great moral compasses.” The education minister, Christopher Pyne, paid tribute to Fraser’s lifetime of public service and said Australia “will be poorer without him. Thoughts are with his family.” The Labor leader, Bill Shorten, said Fraser had “showed international leadership of great integrity in condemning the evil of apartheid”. “He immeasurably enriched Australia’s multicultural society, offering refuge to tens of thousands of vulnerable people driven from Vietnam by the horror of war,” he said. “He maintained the Whitlam government’s commitment to the cause of reconciliation and recognising the land rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.” The former Liberal prime minister John Howard said Fraser’s tenure brought “a sense of stability and calm and reassurance restored to the nation’s affairs”. “Anybody who achieves what Malcolm Fraser achieved in his life deserves respect as a quite extraordinary Australian. He brought to the government of this country great integrity,” he said.

The former Labor prime minister Julia Gillard said Fraser “was a leader in the fight for racial equality. His brave stance against the evil of South Africa’s apartheid helped changed the world for the better.” “Malcolm will always be remembered kindly for his commitment to multiculturalism and his specific actions to resettle Vietnamese boat people in Australia,” she said. The former Labor prime minister Paul Keating said: “I always thought Malcolm would be around a lot longer. I must say, I wished he had been. “Notwithstanding a controversial prime ministership, in later years he harboured one abiding and important idea about Australia – its need and its right to be a strategically independent country. “His public life also enshrined other important principles: no truck with race or colour and no tolerance for whispered notions of exclusivity tinged by race. These principles applied throughout his political life.” Former Labor prime minister Bob Hawke said he had “unqualified respect and admiration” for Fraser’s policies on race, which he described as “impeccable”. Of the controversial dismissal, “we shouldn’t dwell on that,” Hawke said.

“We should remember that Gough and Malcolm became reconciled and became very good friends, and so if Gough could reconcile that, we should really put that aside.” The current governor general, Peter Cosgrove, said Fraser had made “an indelible contribution to Australia during his many years in public life”. The Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young posted a tribute on Twitter. “Mr Fraser a politician of principle and leader of compassion. A true gentleman with a heart full of empathy.

I am devastated.” The Greens leader, Christine Milne, said Fraser’s memory would never be free of the controversy and turmoil of the dismissal of the Whitlam government: “But then and also in later years he courageously offered leadership in social justice and provided a vision for an Australia that truly embraced a fair go for everyone including refugees.” The Labor senator Doug Cameron said: “Australia has lost a great voice for human rights.” Fraser was prime minister between 1975 and 1983, leading the Coalition to election victories after the dismissal of the Whitlam government Published: 19 Mar 2015 Malcolm Fraser, one of Australia's most well-known political figures, has died at the age of 84 Published: 20 Mar 2015 Former Australian prime minister who came to power in controversial circumstances after the dismissal of the Whitlam government but went on to advocate progressive causes Published: 19 Mar 2015 Fraser was prime minister between 1975 and 1983, leading the Coalition to election victories after the dismissal of the Whitlam government.

This timeline from the National Archives of Australia lists key events during this time Published: 19 Mar 2015 First Dog on the Moon Published: 19 Mar 2015 Bob Hawke | National Museum of Australia Prime Minister from 11 March 1983 to 20 December 1991 Bob Hawke. Photo: National Library of Australia, nla.pic-vn3298879. Under Bob Hawke, the Australian Labor Party won four elections in a row. During his first term in office, Hawke gained the highest popularity rating of any Prime Minister since the introduction of public opinion polls. A former trade union leader, Hawke believed in government by consensus and managed with considerable success to establish agreement between business and the unions in the pursuit of economic growth. He became the only Labor Prime Minister to have been removed by his own party while still in office, when successfully challenged by Paul Keating in December 1991. Beginnings Robert James Lee Hawke was born in Bordertown, South Australia, on 9 December 1929.

He is the second of two sons of Clement Hawke, a Congregational minister, and Ellie Lee, a school teacher, both of Cornish ancestry. After the death of the older son, the family moved to Leederville, Western Australia, where Hawke grew up. Clement's brother, Albert (Bert) RG Hawke, was Labor Premier of Western Australia for six years from 1953 to 1959. Robert (Bob) Hawke attended Perth Modern School before going on to the University of Western Australia. He graduated with arts and law degrees in 1952. He won a Rhodes Scholarship and studied economics at Oxford University from which he graduated B.Litt, having written his thesis on wage fixation. He married Hazel Masterson in 1956, and they had three children. Hawke returned to Australia in 1956 to undertake doctoral studies at the Australian National University. He did not complete his degree, but accepted instead a position as research officer and advocate with the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) in 1958.

Bob Hawke unsuccessfully stood as the Australian Labor Party (ALP) candidate against Hubert Opperman, Liberal Minister for Immigration, in the seat of Corio, Victoria, at the 1963 general election. After rising through the ranks of the ACTU, Hawke served as its president from 1970 to 1980. He took on a high public profile and acquired a reputation as an excellent conciliator, effectively resolving many national industrial disputes. He was a member of many national bodies during the 1970s, including the Immigration Planning Council and the Immigration Advisory Council from 1970 to 1980, the Reserve Bank Board from 1973 to 1980, the Australian Council for Union Training from 1975 to 1980, the Australian Population and Immigration Council from 1976 to 1980, the Australian Refugee Advisory Council from 1979 to 1980, and the International Labour Organisation Governing Body from 1972 to 1980. He was national president of the ALP from 1973 to 1978.

In 1979 he delivered the ABC Boyer lecture on the topic 'Resolution of Conflict'. Entry to federal politics Bob Hawke was elected to federal parliament at the general election on 18 October 1980 as the ALP candidate for the seat of Wills, Victoria, which he held through the next four general elections: 1983, 1984, 1987 and 1990. On election he was immediately appointed to the shadow ministry of opposition leader WG Hayden, as spokesman on industrial relations, employment and youth affairs. On 16 July 1982 Hawke challenged Hayden for leadership of the parliamentary ALP. Hayden resigned the leadership, contested the position against Hawke at a caucus ballot on 16 July and retained the position in a close vote 42:37. Hawke's supporters continued lobbying for him to replace Hayden, who was persuaded to resign the leadership. He did so on 3 February 1983, 20 minutes after the Prime Minister, Malcolm Fraser, called a general election.

Prime Minister Bob Hawke Hawke brought the ALP back into government at the general election on 5 March 1983, by gaining a 15-seat majority over the Liberal-National coalition in the House of Representatives. The ALP also held 30 Senate seats, compared to the 28 of the coalition, five of the Democrats and one Independent. Concerned with the divisiveness of recent events, Hawke's first major step as Prime Minister was to conduct an 'Economic Summit' meeting in Canberra from 11 to 14 April 1983. Present were political parties and union and employer organisations. The idea was to attempt a national consensus on economic policy. The 'Wages Accord' with unions, a by-product of the Economic Summit, became a major part of government economic policy. The Hawke government also floated the Australian dollar on international money markets and allowed the operation of foreign-owned banks as first steps towards deregulating the national economy. In 1983 the Hawke government used its powers under World Heritage legislation to prevent the Tasmanian government from building the Gordon-below-Franklin dam in Tasmania.

The ALP government led by Hawke was returned to office at an election on 1 December 1984, with a reduced majority. Under Hawke's leadership, changes to Australia's education and training system began in 1984 and continued over the following years. Changes included: amalgamations of smaller tertiary training institutions; creation of new universities from former Colleges of Advanced Education; the setting of national curriculum standards for schools; upgrading of the Technical and Further Education (TAFE) sector; and the establishment of national training and qualification standards. Despite loss of popularity as measured by opinion polls, Hawke took the ALP to a record third term in office at the general election on 8 July 1987. Disunity in the Liberal-National Party opposition was a key factor in the government's success at this election. The 'Joh for Canberra' campaign to have Queensland Premier Johannes Bjelke-Petersen brought into federal parliament seriously weakened the campaign of coalition leader John Howard. Hawke and Treasurer Paul John Keating were criticised for having 'hijacked' the ALP, moving it away from its traditional working class base and from its previous socialist philosophy.

At the same time, the ALP's continued electoral success was due largely to Hawke's - and later Keating's - achievement in moving the party to the 'middle ground', where it attracted voters who previously supported the Liberal-National Party coalition. As Prime Minister, Hawke travelled widely in the Pacific, Asia, Europe and North America, and was host to many international delegations visiting Australia. He also arranged the celebration of the Bicentenary of the First Fleet and European settlement in Australia with a year-long series of events conducted in all states and territories in 1988. Although Hawke took the ALP to a record fourth term in office at the general election in March 1990, uncertainty grew within the parliamentary party over his ability to win another election during a period of recession. In 1990-1991 the Australian economy slid into recession and unemployment reached 11 per cent in 1992 - the highest level since the Great Depression of the early 1930s. Anxiety led to Hawke's removal as leader on 20 December 1991, when Keating made a second and successful challenge to his leadership.

Hawke immediately resigned the prime ministership, which Keating then took over. Life beyond politics Hawke resigned from parliament soon after quitting as Prime Minister. He entered TV journalism, interviewing international political figures for the Channel 9 network. He subsequently pursued diverse business interests, and in 1994 published his political memoirs, The Hawke Memoirs. Bob and Hazel Hawke's marriage ended after he had quit Parliament. In 1995 he married the author Blanche D'Alpuget. Legislation An increasingly heavy legislative program was continued by the Hawke governments. Several Acts of parliament of importance in Australian political life over many decades were nearing the end of their useful life and needed to be completely redrafted to reflect changing legislative requirements. These new acts included: The Industrial Relations Act 1988, replacing the Conciliation and Arbitration Act 1904 and the Social Security Act 1991, which replaced the Social Security Act 1947. Other legislation included: The World Heritage Properties Conservation Act 1983 which brought state territory listed as heritage areas within the control of the Commonwealth through the use of the external affairs power in the Constitution.

The Sex Discrimination Act 1984 which outlawed sex discrimination in the workforce. The Australia Act 1985 which finally ended residual control theoretically exercised by the British Government in regard to certain state functions. The Privacy Act 1988 which provided for safeguards over the use of information held about people in data banks and other information storage systems. The Hawke government also took an important step in legislating for Australia's Indigenous peoples through the passage of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission Act 1989, which established the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) as the peak national policy and administrative agency for the Indigenous peoples. This Act combined in ATSIC the functions of the former Commonwealth Department of Aboriginal Affairs and Aboriginal Development Commission. The Australian Postal Corporation Act 1989 was an example of legislation giving wide ranging entrepreneurial powers to government business enterprises, subject to some legislative safeguards. Breadcrumb Links: Before office - Paul Keating - Australia's PMs - Australia's Prime Ministers AUSTRALIA'S PRIME MINISTERS Treasurer 1983–91 Paul Keating was born in Paddington, Sydney, in 1944.

He left school at age 14 and joined the Labor Party the following year. In 1969, aged 25, he won the seat of Blaxland in the federal parliament. Paul Keating was briefly Minister for Northern Australia in 1975, during the last months of the Whitlam government. He was Treasurer from 1983 to 1991 in the government of Bob Hawke , when floating the Australian dollar initiated the process of deregulating the Australian economy. Prime Minister Bob Hawke and Treasurer Paul Keating at their first Premiers conference, in Canberra on 30 June 1983. NAA: A6135, K8/7/83/118 Early years Paul John Keating was born in Sydney on 18 January 1944, the eldest of four children of Min and Matt Keating. His father was a boilermaker and union official, and the family lived in the industrial suburb of Bankstown in Sydney’s southwest. Keating had three years of high school at Bankstown’s De La Salle College.

On 16 January 1959 he took a job as a pay clerk at Sydney’s electricity authority and joined the Labor Party the same year. Keating went to evening classes for two years at Belmore Technical College to finish high school, but did not sit the final exams. Keating was much more interested in the education he could get from his father’s hero, radical Labor figure Jack Lang . He arranged to meet the 80-year-old Lang in 1962, and then called on him every week to talk Labor politics. In 1964 Keating joined Sydney’s Labor Youth Council (later Young Labor), becoming president in September 1966. As well as managing a rock band, the ‘Ramrods’, Keating took a job as researcher and union advocate with the Federated Municipal and Shire Council Employees Union. Member for Blaxland 1969 Keating secured pre-selection for the federal seat of Blaxland, the electoral division that included Bankstown, and won the seat at the election on 25 October 1969.

He entered parliament in a wave of new Labor backbenchers, when the party increased its House of Representatives seats from 41 to 59. Led by Prime Minister John Gorton , the Liberal–Country National Party Coalition suffered a decrease from 82 to 66 seats. At the next federal election in December 1972, the coalition’s support continued a downward slide. Labor won government with 67 seats in the House of Representatives and Gough Whitlam became Prime Minister. The three years of the Whitlam government provided invaluable experience for both the new Labor members elected in 1969 and 1972, and the veterans. Labor had not governed for 23 years, and not one of Ben Chifley’s ministry remained in parliament. In January 1975 Paul Keating and Alitalia flight attendant Annita van Iersel were married in her family’s village in Holland. The couple made their home in Gerard Avenue, Condell Park in Sydney, not far from the Keatings’ family home. Keating was 31 years old, and when he became a minister later that year, he was among the youngest federal ministers in the parliament’s first century.

Minister for Northern Australia 1975 Keating’s opportunity for the front bench came when Minister for Minerals and Energy Rex Connor was required to resign after revelations of negotiations to secure overseas loan funds from unofficial sources. In the subsequent ministerial re-shuffle, Keating replaced Rex Patterson as Minister for Northern Australia on 21 October 1975. Keating was minister for just three weeks. On 11 November 1975, Governor-General Sir John Kerr dismissed the Whitlam government and commissioned Liberal leader Malcolm Fraser to form a government. As Prime Minister, Fraser then sought a double dissolution of the parliament and called an election for 13 December 1975. In Opposition 1975–83 Labor won only 36 seats at the election and was once again in Opposition. With former ministers now doubling up to cover the portfolio functions, Paul Keating was spokesman in a broad assortment of shadow ministries.

He covered Agriculture (January – March 1976), Minerals and Energy (March 1976 – November 1980), National Development (December 1977 – November 1980), Northern Australia (March – November 1980), Resources and Energy (November 1980 – January 1983) and Treasury (January – March 1983). Keating was active in both the federal parliamentary Labor Party and the New South Wales Labor Party. On 21 September 1979 he was elected president of the State party. When Gough Whitlam retired from parliament in July 1978, Bill Hayden won the leadership of the parliamentary party. Labor’s electoral reversal in 1975 did not improve in the December 1977 election. In October 1980 Labor made inroads into the Liberal majority, winning 51 seats – one of them the seat of Wills won by Bob Hawke. Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser called an election for 5 March 1983, at the same time as the Labor Party leadership was vacated by Bill Hayden in favour of Bob Hawke.

Labor’s election campaign was launched by Bob and Hazel Hawke on 16 February at the Sydney Opera House. Treasurer 1983–91 On 11 March 1983 Bob Hawke was sworn in as Prime Minister. His new ministry included Lionel Bowen as deputy Prime Minister, Bill Hayden as Minister for Foreign Affairs and Paul Keating as Treasurer. Keating’s closest associates in the first ministry were Hayden, Industry Minister John Button , Housing Minister Chris Hurford , Education Minister Susan Ryan and Finance Minister John Dawkins . Opponents in the House as well as colleagues in Cabinet observed Keating’s extreme nervousness in his new role. With only three weeks of ministerial experience and no tertiary qualifications, the Treasury portfolio was challenging. John Button recalled that Keating was ‘extraordinarily hesitant’ in his first six months, while Opposition frontbencher Andrew Peacock observed how the Treasurer always read from notes, even in Question Time, and from across the table the paper in his hand could be seen shaking as he spoke. Keating’s predecessor, John Howard , had seven years experience as a minister, five of them as Treasurer. Keating saturated himself in the work to try to close the gap between them.

John Stone continued as head of Treasury after the change of government and was a valued adviser to the new Treasurer. In 1983 the Keatings had three small children and continued to live in the Sydney suburb of Condell Park. With Labor now in government, the family faced the problem common to front bench parliamentarians. Paul Keating spent much of his time working in Canberra, while his family lived in Sydney. Both John Howard and John Stone encouraged Annita Keating to make the decision to come to Canberra. By mid-1983 the couple had rented a house as their Canberra base, and Keating no longer stayed at the Hotel Kurrajong for his frequent and extended trips to Canberra. In December 1983 the government made an historic economic change with the decision to float the Australian dollar, rather than have its value tied to another currency or fixed by government regulation. The change was supported by shadow Treasurer John Howard. But the Leader of the Opposition Andrew Peacock, the National Party and some of Keating’s Labor colleagues opposed the float. It was also against the advice of John Stone, and indicated Keating’s increasing confidence in his portfolio and his drawing advice from other senior Treasury officials like Bernie Fraser.

Treasurer Paul Keating delivers the budget in parliament in September 1987, with Andrew Peacock opposite. NAA: A6180, 21/9/87/19 The currency float was part of a broad financial deregulation program introduced by the Hawke government and guided by Treasurer Paul Keating. It included licensing foreign banks to operate in Australia, and removing direct controls on interest rates and other restrictions that created competitive disadvantage for Australian companies in international markets. Critics pointed to the danger of speculation and of the vulnerability of a globalised economy to market crises. This was demonstrated after the New York stock market slump in October 1987. The very public collapse of some high-profile corporate entrepreneurs in Australia indicated the inadequacy of Australia’s company laws. Labor had lost much of its majority at the 1984 election, but at the election in July 1987 the Labor government improved its position in the House of Representatives. It continued the deregulation program, abolishing Australia’s two-airline policy and extending general tariff reductions.

With a record third term achieved, Bob and Hazel Hawke were looking at the possibility of securing the rare prime ministerial luxury – choosing their own time to leave office. Paul and Annita Keating were at Kirribilli House on 25 November 1988, when Hawke and Keating talked over the idea of Keating succeeding Hawke after the next election. Their mutual friend, businessman Peter Abeles , and Australian Council of Trade Unions head Bill Kelty were also present. Labor felt the impact of high interest rates at the March 1990 election – the Liberal Party made significant gains in the House of Representatives, while Labor lost eight seats. Treasurer Paul Keating at the National Press Club on budget night, September 1989. NAA: A6135, K15/9/89/28 Lionel Bowen retired at this election and Keating became deputy Prime Minister. When the new ministry was sworn in on 4 April 1990 he had an additional portfolio, as minister assisting the Prime Minister for Commonwealth–State Relations.

In an address at the parliamentary Press Gallery’s annual dinner on 7 December 1990, Keating was indirectly critical of Hawke’s leadership – and for good measure, most previous leaders. The speech fanned the flames of speculation about a leadership challenge. Hawke had made no move to retire, as proposed at the Kirribilli House meeting in 1988, and a rift had developed between the Prime Minister and the Treasurer. By 1991 economic problems had worsened and Australia was in recession. Keating argued the recession was itself an economic lever that would correct problematic trends – ‘the recession we had to have’. On 23 May 1991 Keating passed Ben Chifley’s record 2996 days as a federal Labor Treasurer. On 3 June he stood against Hawke in a Caucus leadership ballot and lost. Keating resigned both his Cabinet posts and returned to the back benches. Six months later, he made his second challenge. This time he won the ballot and the prime ministership. Sources Carew, Edna, Paul Keating: Prime Minister, Allen & Unwin, Sydney, 1992.

Catley, Bob, Globalising Australian Capitalism, Cambridge University Press, Melbourne, 1996. Edwards, John, Keating: The Inside Story, Viking, Melbourne, 1996. Gordon, Michael, A True Believer: Paul Keating, University of Queensland Press, St Lucia, 1996. Souter, Gavin, Acts of Parliament, Melbourne University Press, Melbourne, 1988. Malcolm Fraser | National Museum of Australia Prime Minister from 11 November 1975 to 11 March 1983 John Malcolm Fraser. Photo: National Archives of Australia, A6180:6/1/78/2. Malcolm Fraser was asked to take over the job of Prime Minister by the Governor-General when Gough Whitlam was dismissed in controversial circumstances in 1975. Fraser won the subsequent election by a landslide. He was Prime Minister for seven and a half years - one of our longest-serving Prime Ministers - continuing many reform policies from the previous government in areas of human rights and in judicial matters. He was a prominent figure in international affairs, particularly in support of black African movements.

Fraser maintained a conservative economic policy, opposed to economic deregulation. Beginnings John Malcolm Fraser was born in Toorak, Victoria, on 21 May 1930. He's known by his middle name - Malcolm. He was the second of two children of Una Woolf and John Neville Fraser. Una Woolf was of Jewish descent and JN Fraser, Scottish. JN Fraser, a pastoralist who had trained as a lawyer, owned property in the Riverina district of New South Wales. He then bought 'Nareen', a station near Hamilton, Victoria, for his family to live on. Malcolm Fraser's grandfather, Simon Fraser, emigrated from Nova Scotia in 1853 and became a land speculator and pastoralist. Simon Fraser entered Victorian parliament, participated in the Federal Conventions of 1897-1898 and became a Senator at Federation. Malcolm Fraser was educated at Geelong Grammar preparatory school, Toorak, Victoria, then Tudor House, Moss Vale, New South Wales, before going on to Melbourne Grammar at 14. He went to Oxford University, UK, where he graduated with a degree in philosophy, politics and economics.

He worked as a grazier at 'Nareen' after returning from Oxford. Malcolm Fraser unsuccessfully contested the federal seat of Wannon as the Liberal candidate at the 1954 general election. He married Tamara ('Tammie') Beggs in 1956, and they had four children. Entry to federal politics Malcolm Fraser won the seat of Wannon at the general election in 1955. At 25, he was federal parliament's youngest member. He held Wannon for 29 years through 11 general elections until his resignation from parliament on 31 March 1983. Fraser was Minister for the Army for two years from 1966 to 1968 in the coalition governments of Harold Holt and John Gorton. He was Minister for Education and Science from 1968 to 1969 in Gorton's government and in William McMahon's government from 1971 to 1972. He was Gorton's Minister for Defence from November 1969 to 8 March 1971, when he resigned, accusing Gorton of disloyalty to him in a disagreement over the Army.

His resignation set in motion McMahon's successful challenge to Gorton's leadership of the Liberals a fortnight later, resulting in Gorton's replacement as Prime Minister by McMahon. Fraser was a member of the federal Liberal opposition executive from 1972 to 1975, and a spokesman on primary industry, then labour matters. He became Leader of the Opposition on 21 March 1975 after successfully challenging BM Snedden for the Liberal leadership. The challenge was promoted by parliamentary party members dissatisfied with Snedden's parliamentary performance against the Labor Prime Minister, Gough Whitlam. On 15 October 1975, Fraser set in motion the events leading to Whitlam's dismissal by the Governor-General when he announced that the opposition would refuse passage through the Senate of the Budget Bills until Whitlam called an election. Justifying this decision, he claimed revelations about the government's attempts to bypass the Loans Council to obtain funds overseas indicated 'extraordinary and reprehensible circumstances' which warranted an electoral verdict on the government's actions.

When the opposition, led by Fraser, refused to pass the government's Budget Bills through the Senate in October-November 1975, (delaying the funding of government operations) Australia experienced its most severe constitutional crisis. Fraser said the opposition would not grant supply until the government called a general election. The constitutional and financial crisis climaxed when JR Kerr, the Governor-General, withdrew Whitlam's commission as Prime Minister on 11 November 1975. Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser Immediately after the dismissal of Whitlam, the Governor-General commissioned Fraser as interim Prime Minister pending a general election. Parliament was dissolved. Fraser's Liberal-National Country Party won a landslide victory against the Australian Labor Party (ALP) at a general election on 13 December 1975. They won 91 seats (out of 127) in the House of Representatives and control of the Senate with a six-seat majority. Fraser easily won the next general election in December 1977, although the ALP won back 14 seats from the Liberals.

A new 'centre' party, the Australian Democrats, was formed in May 1977 by Don Chipp, a former Liberal minister who had become disillusioned with the party under Fraser's leadership. At the December 1977 election, Chipp took one of two Senate seats the Democrats won. Fraser's government was returned to power at the general election in 1980. However, with three new senators elected, the Democrats gained the balance of power in the Senate. Despite a reputation for conservatism and determination to slash government expenditure, Fraser's Liberal-National Party coalition continued and extended the process of reform begun under the previous ALP government. Among its innovations were these: 1976: establishment of the Family Court of Australia and Federal Court of Australia; Northern Territory granted self-government; passage of Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act; position of Federal Ombudsman established; ABC FM radio service established. 1977: National Aboriginal Conference established; Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) established to provide multilingual radio and television services. 1978: approval of parliament for building a new, permanent Parliament House on Capital Hill, Canberra.

The winning design was announced in June 1980 and construction work began soon after. 1979: Norfolk Island Legislative Assembly established; Fraser played a key role in ending racial war in the former UK colony of Rhodesia, enabling elections to be held and a new nation - Zimbabwe - to be established under black rule; the government established the Australian Refugee Advisory Council to advise it on the settlement of refugees, many of whom had been arriving as 'boat people' from Vietnam since 1978. 1980: Aboriginal Development Commission established; in protest against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan the government cut wheat sales to the Soviet Union and discouraged Australian participation in the Moscow Olympics; first commercial FM radio broadcasting stations and first ethnic television stations established under SBS (Channel 0 Sydney and 28 Melbourne). 1981: the government declared 36,000 square km of the Cairns section of the Great Barrier Reef as a marine park. 1982: appeals to the Privy Council were abolished, making the High Court the final court of appeal; a new migrant selection scheme was introduced, based on criteria relating to family reunion and the need for skilled workers.

Although Fraser's government introduced many innovations, it was criticised by some Liberals for not initiating economic reform when it had the opportunity. Fraser proved a true conservative on economic issues, for example resisting economic deregulation and tariff reform. Fraser travelled widely as both minister and Prime Minister to Asia, Africa, North America, the Pacific and Europe. He became a prominent figure in CHOGM (Commonwealth Heads of Government Meetings), and hosted CHOGM in Sydney in February 1978, and in Melbourne and Canberra in September-October 1981. On 3 February 1983, Fraser gained a double dissolution of parliament and called a general election. He hoped to gain an advantage from the disunity in the federal parliamentary ALP over Bob Hawke's challenges to WG Hayden's leadership of the ALP. Twenty minutes after Fraser announced the election, Hayden resigned as ALP leader allowing Hawke to assume leadership. Following an election campaign largely focusing on Fraser's and Hawke's personalities, the ALP won a 25-seat majority in the House of Representatives.

With 30 out of 64 Senate seats, the ALP had the largest number of Senators, but the success of the Democrats in winning five seats enabled them to continue to hold the balance of power in the Senate. In conceding defeat early on 6 March 1983, the morning following the election, Fraser announced his intention of resigning from the Liberal leadership. He resigned from parliament five days later, on 11 March, and later that day the parliamentary Liberal Party elected Andrew S Peacock to replace him as leader. Beyond politics On quitting parliament, Fraser retired to 'Nareen' but remained active in public affairs. In 1985 he was chosen as a member of an international group of 'eminent persons' seeking to end apartheid in South Africa by encouraging dialogue between the opposed racial communities. (He had been a real critic of apartheid since entering parliament.) Later, he became a political columnist for The Australian newspaper. From 1987-2002 Fraser was chairman of Care Australia, an international relief agency with special interests in delivering aid to poverty stricken nations in Africa.

In 2000, Fraser's contribution to the advancement of human rights in Australia and internationally was recognised when he was awarded Australia's Human Rights medal. Legislation Notable legislation during the period 1976 to 1983 included: The Social Services Amendment Act 1976 increased the rate of child endowment, renamed family allowance, following Professor Ronald Henderson's Commission of Inquiry in Poverty. The Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976 gave land rights to Northern Territory Aborigines, implementing the recommendations of the Woodwood Royal Commission into Aboriginal land rights. The Ombudsman Act 1976 established an office of Commonwealth Ombudsman, which was empowered to investigate grievances by members of the public about administrative actions by officials of Commonwealth departments, statutory authorities and other government agencies. The Constitution Alteration (Senate Casual Vacancies) Act 1977 ensured that a casual vacancy in the Senate was filled by a person of the same political party as the former incumbent - subsequently passed at a referendum. The Federal Court of Australia Act 1976 established a court of appeal to operate in areas of federal and territory law.

The Crimes (Taxation Offences ) Act 1980 outlawed the stripping of untaxed profits by way of 'bottom of the harbour' schemes. The Taxation (Unpaid Company Tax) Assessment Act 1982 provided for the recoupment of tax evaded illegally since 1972. The Aboriginal Development Commission Act 1980 provided a funding mechanism for Aboriginal enterprises, housing and other services. The Human Rights Commission Act 1981. The Northern Territory (Self Government) Act 1978 established a fully elected legislative assembly for the Northern Territory with powers in most respects equal to state powers. The Freedom of Information Act 1982 established a legally enforceable right of access to the public for information held by ministers and officials. Breadcrumb Links: Robert Hawke | prime minister of Australia | Britannica.com prime minister of Australia Alternative Titles: Bob Hawke, Robert James Lee Hawke Robert Hawke Robert Hawke, in full Robert James Lee Hawke, byname Bob Hawke (born Dec.

9, 1929, Bordertown, S.Aus., Australia ), Australian labour leader and prime minister of Australia from 1983 to 1991. Robert Hawke, 1987. James Pozarik/Gamma Liaison After graduating from the University of Western Australia with a degree in law, Hawke spent three years at the University of Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar. He was briefly an economics researcher at the Australian National University in Canberra and in 1958 joined the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU), the umbrella organization of the country’s tightly organized labour movement. As president of the ACTU from 1970 to 1980, Hawke proved to be a brilliant trade-union official, getting favourable settlements for the unions before Australia’s arbitration commissions. Hawke had also joined the Australian Labor Party (ALP) as a student, and he rose through the ranks to serve as the party’s national president from 1973 to 1978. By the time he successfully ran for Parliament in 1980 as a Labor candidate, Hawke already enjoyed immense national popularity.

In February 1983 Hawke was elected leader of the ALP , and in the elections held the following month he led his party to a landslide victory over the Liberal Party , becoming prime minister of Australia. As prime minister, Hawke achieved greater industrial harmony by instituting a unified wage accord among Australia’s fractious labour unions. He also was able to lower the rate of inflation, and he continued to maintain close relations with the United States . Hawke was reelected prime minister in the elections he had called for December 1984. The Labor Party maintained its electoral majority in the 1987 elections, but because of a worsening economy his parliamentary majority was considerably reduced in the 1990 election, and he resigned in December 1991. Learn More in these related articles: Malcolm Fraser - brief biography Brief biography of the Rt. Hon. Malcolm Fraser Malcolm Fraser was Australia's 22nd Prime Minister, leading the nation from November 1975 to March 1983. He was an Oxford graduate and a grazier when he won the Victorian seat of Wannon for the Liberal Party in December 1955.

Entering politics aged just 25, he was the youngest member of the 22nd parliament. His first ten years were spent as a backbencher in the Menzies Government but when Harold Holt became prime minister in 1966, Mr Fraser was appointed as Minister for the Army. He also served as a minister in the governments of John Gorton and William McMahon. When the Labor Party won office in December 1972 under the leadership of Gough Whitlam, Mr Fraser sat on the Opposition benches for the first time. Looking to reassert Liberal principles and provide the Liberal Party with a new sense of purpose and direction, he stood for leader in a ballot in March 1975, defeating Billy Snedden to become Leader of the Opposition. Mr Fraser was appointed as caretaker Prime Minister on 11 November 1975, after Governor-General Sir John Kerr dismissed the Whitlam Government. The Fraser Coalition government won office a month later with the largest landslide of any federal election. (John) Malcolm Fraser (1930-) Photographic Service. JCPML00036/21.

The Liberal and National Country Party Coalition remained in office, winning strong majorities in both the 1975 and 1977 elections and a third term in 1980, until defeated by Labor under Bob Hawke in 1983. Prime Minister Fraser was influential in changing Australian relations abroad, both within the Commonwealth and with the countries of East and Southeast Asia. He was an adamant opponent of apartheid and a strong supporter of reform in South Africa. He also played a prominent part in the Commonwealth's efforts to establish an independent Zimbabwe. His government supported strong defence spending and reinforced Australia's diplomatic and trade relations with the countries in our region, viewing defence and foreign policy as key means of forestalling the advance of Communism. Though economic rationalism was debated during his term of office, the Fraser government pursued more traditional approaches to financial management and fiscal policy. In the years of the Fraser Government a significant piece of legislation for Indigenous people, the Aboriginal Land Rights Act (NT) 1976, was passed. The position of Commonwealth Ombudsman was established in 1977 and Australia's first Freedom of Information law was enacted in 1981.

The same year, the government passed the Human Rights Commission Act and established the Human Rights Commission. The Fraser government revitalized Australia's immigration program, bringing migrants from Asian countries, including nearly 56,000 Vietnamese refugees. Over 2000 'boat people' were granted entry. The immigration program focused on resettlement and 'multiculturalism' with the Institute of Multicultural Affairs being set up in 1978. Mr Fraser resigned from parliament on 31 March 1983 and, within two years, had become a key figure in Australia's international and diplomatic relations. Notably, he was Co-Chairman of the Commonwealth Committee of Eminent Persons against Apartheid which was formed to encourage a process of dialogue and reform in South Africa in 1985-86 and in 1989 he was appointed Chairman of the United Nations Committee on African Commodity Problems which reported to Secretary-General de Cuellar in June 1990. In 1987 Mr Fraser formed CARE Australia as part of the international CARE network of humanitarian aid organisations. He was chairman from 1987 until 2002.

He was also president of CARE International from 1990 to 1995, and its vice president for the next four years. In 1996, he was appointed by the Howard government as Special Envoy to lobby in support of Australia's candidacy for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council. He visited Zimbabwe and Ghana and attended the Heads of Government Meeting of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) in Cameroon. Mr Fraser led a Commonwealth election observer mission to Pakistan in 1997, to observe the national elections which followed the dismissal of Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto's government. In 1999 he was appointed as the government's special envoy to Yugoslavia to seek the release from a Yugoslav prison of two CARE Australia workers, eventually securing their release later that year. Mr Fraser then worked with Nelson Mandela, Kofi Annan, and Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari to free a third CARE worker still in prison.

In recognition of the legislative record of his government in Indigenous land rights, as well as his personal commitment for all of his public and private life to anti-racism, Aboriginal reconciliation and minority rights, Mr Fraser was awarded Australia's Human Rights Medal in 2000 for his contribution to the advancement of human rights in Australia and internationally. Mr Fraser has been a Member of the InterAction Council for Former Heads of Government since its inauguration in 1983 and is currently its Chairman. In 2002 Mr Fraser published his book Common Ground - Issues that should bind and not divide us. Mr Fraser died on the 20th March 2015. For further information see the National Archives of Australia's Australia's Prime Ministers website at

Question: Who was elected Prime Minister of Australia in March 1983?
Answer: Bob Hawke