FRASER, JOHN MALCOLM (AUSTRALIA)

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 06893592
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: March 9, 2023
• Document Release Date: August 26, 2021
• Case Number: F-2020-01826
• Publication Date: April 1, 1969

Approved for Release: 2021/08/25 C06893592
AUSTRALIA
Minister for Education
and Science
John Malcolm FRASER
Malcolm Fraser, formerly Minister
for the Army, was named Minister for
Education and Science in February 1968
to succeed John Gorton, who had been
selected Prime Minister the previous
month. Frasees appointment was not
necessarily considered a promotion,
but his elevation to the inner
cabinet marked him as one of the two
most notable younger men in the
Liberal Party (LP) parliamentary
group. Some of the proposals Fraser
advocated in a paper he prepared
several years ago on tertiary educational goals
for Australia are now in effect in the local
universities. These include creation of colleges
for advanced education and increased government
commitment to the universities. Fraser is a hard-
working, pragmatic Young man who is well liked by
his colleagues.
The youngest LP member in the federal cabinet,
Fraser received his first ministerial appointment
as Army Minister when the late Prime Minister
Harold Holt formed his government in January 1966.
Fraser gained
considerable notoriety in late 1966 when he quoted
from a government security report to discredit the
motivations of the mother of a 15-year-old boy who
had refused to participate in a military training
program at a private school. Whereas a more
experienced politician might have avoided the
entire controversy, Fraser's use of a security
report to attack a private citizen drew criticism
from even conservative newspapers.
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Approved for Release: 2021/08/25 C06893592
John Malcolm FRASER (cont.)
John Malcolm Fraser was born 21 May 1930 in
Melbourne, Australia. He obtained an MA degree
in philosophy, political science, and economics
from Oxford University in 1952. Unsuccessful in
1953 in an attempt to gain a seat in the House of
Representatives, he ran successfully in 1955 and
has continued to represent Wannon since that time.
Quite active in Parliament, he served as member of
the Joint Parliamentary Committee on Foreign
Affairs (1962-66), was chairman of the Government
Members Defense Committee, and was a member of
the Council of the Australian National University
(1964-66). Fraser was the recipient of a 60-day
foreign leader grant to the United States in 1964.
He visited Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, and the
Philippines in 1966 and returned to Saigon in
1967 to visit the Australian troops.
Fraser, one of the wealthiest members of
Parliament, owns an 8,000-acre estate at Nareen,
Victoria. A showpiece of modern agricultural
methods, the property supports 21,000 sheep and
1,400 head of prime cattle. Over six feet tall,
with strong facial features and a powerful voice,
He was married to the
former Tamara Margaret Beggs in 1956. They have
four children.
In addition
to the family property at Nareen, the couple owns
a large home in a fashionable district of Canberra.
Fraser's hobbies include fishing and photography.
He is a member of the Melbourne Club.
April 1969
Approved for Release: 2021/08/25 C06893592