Photographs
The Malcolm Fraser Collection at present includes more than one thousand photographs. They range from family photographs – dating back to Malcolm Fraser’s grandfather Sir Simon Fraser – to official photographs recording overseas and domestic visits made by Malcolm Fraser during his Prime Ministership. There are also photographs taken by Malcolm Fraser himself.
Malcolm Fraser’s father, Neville Fraser, was, like his son, a keen amateur photographer. The collection includes photographs recording the Frasers’ home life, as well as a series of images recording a car journey from Oodnadatta to Katherine undertaken by Neville Fraser in 1924.
Indigenous Australians are advised that this web site may include names and images of people now deceased.
Image catalogue (UMAIC)
To see the complete collection of Malcolm Fraser digitised photographs on the University of Melbourne Archives Image Catalogue (UMAIC), enter ‘Fraser’ in the search box and select ‘Collection Name’ from the drop-down menu. You can also design your own search.
The family photographs in the collection illustrate the Fraser family's life at Balpool-Nyang, the station near Moulamein in the Riverina district of New South Wales where they lived until 1943, and at Nareen in the Western District of Victoria. They provide a compelling glimpse into Australian rural life in the early twentieth century. There are also photographs from Malcolm Fraser's early political career.
These photographs cover both Malcolm Fraser’s official duties within Australia and visits by foreign heads of state for Commonwealth Heads of Government Meetings and other events.
During his time as Prime Minister, Malcolm Fraser made official overseas visits to the USA, Canada, Western Europe, South-East Asia, India, Mexico, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea. On many of these visits, he was accompanied by photographers from the Australian Information Service. This was a federal government organisation responsible for promoting life in Australia and recording Australian events overseas.