Former Liberal prime minister Malcolm Fraser died ' peacefully ' aged 84 on Friday morning . In a statement , his office said : ' We appreciate that this will be a shock to all who knew and loved him ' Mr Fraser , one of the giants of Australian politics , had been suffering a ' brief illness ' when he passed away . He was appointed caretaker prime minister in 1975 following the dismissal of Gough Whitlam . Under his leadership , the Coalition had blocked the flow of supply in the electorate . Whitlam famously dubbed him ' Kerr 's cur ' but the pair became friends later in life . His landslide election victory was the largest in Australian political history . As Prime Minister , he established SBS , opposed apartheid and championed a multicultural Australia . After retirement , he distanced himself from the liberal Party and advocated for the rights of asylum seekers .
Former Liberal prime minister Malcolm Fraser died 'peacefully ' aged 84 on Friday morning . In a statement , his office said : 'We appreciate that this will be a shock to all who knew and loved him ' Mr Fraser , one of the giants of Australian politics , had been suffering a 'brief illness ' when he passed away . He was appointed caretaker prime minister in 1975 following the dismissal of Gough Whitlam . Under his leadership , the Coalition had blocked the passage of supply in the Senate . Whitlam famously dubbed him 'Kerr 's cur ' but the pair became friends later in life . His 1975 election win was the largest in Australian political history . As Prime Minister , he established SBS , opposed apartheid and championed a multicultural Australia . After office , he distanced himself from the Liberal Party and advocated for the rights of asylum seekers .