Malcolm Fraser's transformation from that tall, aloof looking PM, dubbed the Crazy Grazier, into the present apparent statesman who has resigned from the Liberal Party is a surprising turn in his political journey. Along the way, he lost his trousers in America in one of the great unsolved political mysteries and had to sell his pastoral property, Nareen , where dung beetles refused to breed for some unfathomable reason.
One of the truly bizarre events during his reign took place in Darwin in 1978. The autocratic looking PM sat on a dais in Mitchell Street at the start of a public function, part of the pomp and ceremony connected with the official opening of the Legislative Assembly. Those involved in the event included Governor-General, Sir Zelman Cowen, Deputy Prime Minister , Doug Anthony, parliamentary delegations from various states, former NT Administrators and other VIPs . Earlier in the day there had been a protest rally in the nearby park where speakers objected about rising unemployment and the high cost of living .
A section of the crowd, some carrying anti-Fraser and anti-uranium mining placards , later gathered outside the Legislative Assembly and hooted as politicians arrived . The PM, his daughter beside him on the platform, stared straight ahead during the uproar. Jeering broke out when Chief Minister, Paul “Porky ” Everingham , arrived and he responded with a Churchillian gesture , which caused more yelling. Hecklers asked why Andrew Peacock was absent , and advised Billy McMahon to watch his back.
Then Sir Zelman arrived in a limo and a chant went up for him to sack Prime Minister Fraser. As Sir Zelman began inspecting the naval guard of honour , there was an increase in shouting and eggs were thrown. In the subsequent address in reply in the Assembly , Everingham said he had been booed when he arrived outside, which was “ fair enough.” It had actually made him “rather proud” to be rhubarbed by “scum” such as that. The PM had received the same reception . However, in the case of the treatment handed out to the Governor-General , Everingham expressed indignation:-
There were words that came from those people that would really curl your hair. Can I quote words which I understand an ABC reporter managed to get on tape from one of the demonstrators over round the red flag ? This was whilst His Excellency , the Governor-General, was inspecting the guard of honour and eggs were being thrown by those yobs at the Governor-General. Servicemen were standing there on parade under instructions to hold fast and wishing , probably with every fibre of their being, to turn round and hoe into those cowardly demonstrators who threw eggs at them. These are the words that came from the crowd to the Governor-General : “ You little mongrel Jew bastard ” and , “Why don’t you get your foreskin cut off?”. Those are the sort of people who were demonstrating here in front of the Assembly.
The Independent Member for Nightcliff, Ms Dawn Lawrie, said the honourable Chief Minister had used words which brought no credit to the Assembly , even if repeating other people’s views. He had also called certain members of the Territory “ scum” and “yobs”. In respect of the insults hurled at the Governor-General re him being Jewish , Lawrie said remarks such as that were not the prerogative of any particular party or any particular section of community. Similar comments had been directed at her ( surely not in regards of circumcision ? ) by the most conservative elements of the community. In a democracy, people had the right to protest strongly, within reasonable bounds.
At that street ceremony , Prime Minister Fraser , who had lost the respect of many of those in the crowd, had been heckled . If it had been Gough Whitlam addressing the crowd , some people would have shouted, “ You big fool , down with Gough !” Anybody in public office should expect that kind of treatment, she added. It was not necessarily being disloyal , but it was very democratic . An extreme utterance by any individual could provide a ready made platform for ultra-conservatives in society to say –“Ban them, garotte them, kill them !. They must be all bad !”
A certain unseemly passage in the address in reply may have been expunged from the copy sent to the GG for the vice-regal archives as a souvenir of his exciting Darwin visit.
CITIZEN JOH : During the tea party on the Assembly lawn, Queensland Premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen , held a media conference outside the toilet block and firmly told the chooks that Aboriginal land rights would ruin the NT. Deputy PM Doug Anthony tried to dissuade Joh from raining on the NT parade on such an important day . Pausing for a moment, Joh told reporters not to refer to him as the Queensland premier in the critical comment about land rights . “ Just say I am a concerned citizen ,” he instructed the journos.
One of the truly bizarre events during his reign took place in Darwin in 1978. The autocratic looking PM sat on a dais in Mitchell Street at the start of a public function, part of the pomp and ceremony connected with the official opening of the Legislative Assembly. Those involved in the event included Governor-General, Sir Zelman Cowen, Deputy Prime Minister , Doug Anthony, parliamentary delegations from various states, former NT Administrators and other VIPs . Earlier in the day there had been a protest rally in the nearby park where speakers objected about rising unemployment and the high cost of living .
A section of the crowd, some carrying anti-Fraser and anti-uranium mining placards , later gathered outside the Legislative Assembly and hooted as politicians arrived . The PM, his daughter beside him on the platform, stared straight ahead during the uproar. Jeering broke out when Chief Minister, Paul “Porky ” Everingham , arrived and he responded with a Churchillian gesture , which caused more yelling. Hecklers asked why Andrew Peacock was absent , and advised Billy McMahon to watch his back.
Then Sir Zelman arrived in a limo and a chant went up for him to sack Prime Minister Fraser. As Sir Zelman began inspecting the naval guard of honour , there was an increase in shouting and eggs were thrown. In the subsequent address in reply in the Assembly , Everingham said he had been booed when he arrived outside, which was “ fair enough.” It had actually made him “rather proud” to be rhubarbed by “scum” such as that. The PM had received the same reception . However, in the case of the treatment handed out to the Governor-General , Everingham expressed indignation:-
There were words that came from those people that would really curl your hair. Can I quote words which I understand an ABC reporter managed to get on tape from one of the demonstrators over round the red flag ? This was whilst His Excellency , the Governor-General, was inspecting the guard of honour and eggs were being thrown by those yobs at the Governor-General. Servicemen were standing there on parade under instructions to hold fast and wishing , probably with every fibre of their being, to turn round and hoe into those cowardly demonstrators who threw eggs at them. These are the words that came from the crowd to the Governor-General : “ You little mongrel Jew bastard ” and , “Why don’t you get your foreskin cut off?”. Those are the sort of people who were demonstrating here in front of the Assembly.
The Independent Member for Nightcliff, Ms Dawn Lawrie, said the honourable Chief Minister had used words which brought no credit to the Assembly , even if repeating other people’s views. He had also called certain members of the Territory “ scum” and “yobs”. In respect of the insults hurled at the Governor-General re him being Jewish , Lawrie said remarks such as that were not the prerogative of any particular party or any particular section of community. Similar comments had been directed at her ( surely not in regards of circumcision ? ) by the most conservative elements of the community. In a democracy, people had the right to protest strongly, within reasonable bounds.
At that street ceremony , Prime Minister Fraser , who had lost the respect of many of those in the crowd, had been heckled . If it had been Gough Whitlam addressing the crowd , some people would have shouted, “ You big fool , down with Gough !” Anybody in public office should expect that kind of treatment, she added. It was not necessarily being disloyal , but it was very democratic . An extreme utterance by any individual could provide a ready made platform for ultra-conservatives in society to say –“Ban them, garotte them, kill them !. They must be all bad !”
A certain unseemly passage in the address in reply may have been expunged from the copy sent to the GG for the vice-regal archives as a souvenir of his exciting Darwin visit.
CITIZEN JOH : During the tea party on the Assembly lawn, Queensland Premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen , held a media conference outside the toilet block and firmly told the chooks that Aboriginal land rights would ruin the NT. Deputy PM Doug Anthony tried to dissuade Joh from raining on the NT parade on such an important day . Pausing for a moment, Joh told reporters not to refer to him as the Queensland premier in the critical comment about land rights . “ Just say I am a concerned citizen ,” he instructed the journos.
