Overview
The Malcolm Fraser Collection at the University of Melbourne currently consists of one hundred metres of family and personal records relating to the former Prime Minister of Australia, the Rt Hon. Malcolm Fraser. The collection is a joint project between the University of Melbourne Archives, the National Archives of Australia and Melbourne Law School.
Mr Fraser designated the University of Melbourne as the official custodian of his personal papers in 2004. In time, Mr Fraser’s library will also be transferred to the University of Melbourne and be housed at Melbourne Law School . The collection will ultimately consist of all Mr Fraser’s personal papers from both his pre-ministerial and post-ministerial activities. The collection will continue to grow as further material is transferred from both the National Archives of Australia and Mr Fraser’s office in Melbourne.
Commonwealth records generated by Mr Fraser as a Minister of the Crown will remain at the National Archives of Australia.
The Malcolm Fraser Collection at the University of Melbourne includes:
- Photographs. These include a range of photographs taken by Malcolm Fraser’s father, Neville Fraser, and photographs of official overseas and domestic visits by Mr Fraser while Prime Minister of Australia. There are also photographs taken by Mr Fraser himself while on these visits.
- Speeches, from Mr Fraser’s 1956 preselection speech until the present day.
- Some papers associated with Sir Simon Fraser, Mr Fraser’s grandfather. Simon Fraser was a member of the Victorian Upper House (the Legislative Council) and a participant in most of the Federation conferences which preceded Australian Federation. He was a foundation Senator for Victoria until 1913.
- Papers of Mr Fraser’s father, Neville Fraser, including his World War I diaries.
- Correspondence from individuals or interest groups associated with his constituency, the electorate of Wannon in Victoria’s Western District. The series covers Mr Fraser’s entire twenty-eight years in federal politics (1955–83).
- Records relating to Mr Fraser’s role as a founding member of the Commonwealth Eminent Persons Group.
- Press releases, cuttings, board papers and other records from CARE Australia, Australia's largest non-political and non-religious overseas aid organisation. Mr Fraser founded CARE Australia in 1987.
The formal launch of this web site took place at the University on 21 November 2006.
Online resource complements University’s Fraser Collection (UniNews, 27 November 2006)
Speech by Petro Georgiou MP at the launch of the web site
The formal announcement of the presentation of the Malcolm Fraser Collection to the University took place on 5 May 2005.
Speech by the Chancellor of the University of Melbourne, Ian Renard