Malcolm Fraser: Enduring Liberal (MUP, 2010)

My favorite political party in Australia is "Greens" led by Dr. Bob Brown,
and I usually support "ALP" (Australian Labor Party) government, and never
"Liberal Party" which was founded by the PM Robert Menzies, but is bloody
conservative. However, I do respect Malcolm Fraser, the former PM (Prime
Minister, 1975-1983) from Liberal Party, who is the most progressive "liberal"
in the true sense. He was born in 1930, during the Great Depression, in
a farmland, located in the west of Melbourne. After graduated from Melbourne
Grammer in 1949, he went to England where Atlee's Labor Party governed,
to study at Oxford University. There he learned Keynes' s economics and Lloyd
George's liberalism. After graduated from Oxford in 1952, he returned to
Melbourne. In a few years he decided to enter the federal politics, and
in 1955, he was elected an MP (Member of Parliament) of Liberal Party. He
was called a "Hillary in Australia", as he was a tall and energetic young
lad as Edmond Hillary in NZ, who reached the summit of Mt. Everest in 1953.
Actually Fraser and Hillary resemble quite well. Both dedicated the rest
of their life to help poor or under-privileged people in Asia and Africa
by their own aid foundations.

Fraser became the leader of Liberal Party in 1975, and his party defeated
the Gough Whitlam's ALP government at 1975 election. Fraser governed Australia
for 8 years as PM, and did a lot of reforms, including the abolition of
"White Australia" policy by promoting the "multi-culturalism" and legislation
of Aboriginal Rights. Finally at 1983 election, his party was lost to Bob
Hawke's ALP, and he retired from federal politics. However, he continued
his liberal endeavor by creating "Care Australia", the largest
aid organization in Australia to help children in war-torn areas such as
Somalia, Iraq and Afghanistan, with many other CARE people including his
own daughter Phoebe.

Also since John Howard became the PM of Liberal-National Party coalition
in 1996, like Bob Brown of Greens, Fraser became among the most outspoken critics
against Howard's conservative policies including abuse of asylum seekers
(so-called "boat people") and involvement of Iraq War (blindly following
the Bush's US government).

The most entertaining section of this memoir, in particular to the so-called
"New Australians" (immigrants) including ourselves, would be the 10 pages
(416-425), which compares Fraser's and Howard's governments in immigration
and refugee policy. I got a feeling this section was prepared for Howard
to see the huge difference in their "liberal" leadership. After their retirement
from federal politics, Howard became the president of International Cricket
Association, while Fraser chaired both "CARE Australia" and "CARE International"
, perhaps reflecting precisely their past leadership.

Fraser still encourages young people to join the Liberal Party to transform
this "conservative" party to the truly "liberal" (progressive) in the future,
representing again the voice of minority (under-privileged people), as
Lloyd George (1863-1945), the founder and PM (1916-1922) of Liberal Party
in England, originally intended.