Malcolm Fraser
John Malcolm Fraser AC, CH, GCL (/ˈfreɪzə/; born 21 May 1930) is an Australian politician who was the Prime Minister of Australia and the Leader of the Liberal Party from 1975 to 1983. Having become a Member of Parliament in 1955 at the age of 25, Fraser was first appointed to the Cabinet in 1966. After rising to become Minister for Defence in 1969, he was regarded as a contender for the leadership of the Liberal Party following their defeat in 1972, but he was defeated for the position by Billy Snedden. Fraser later challenged Snedden in 1975 and was successfully elected Leader of the Liberal Party, becoming the Leader of the Opposition. Fraser was appointed Prime Minister on 11 November 1975 by Governor-General Sir John Kerr following the controversial Dismissal of the Whitlam Government, in which he played a key role. He went on to win the largest majority in Australian political history at the subsequent election. After two further election victories in 1977 and 1980, he was defeated by Bob Hawke in 1983 and retired from politics on 11 March 1983.