Editing Malcolm Fraser (section)

===Estrangement from the Liberal Party===
[[File:FraserSorry.jpg|right|thumb|Fraser at [[Parliament House, Canberra|Parliament House]] in 2008, for [[Kevin Rudd]]'s national apology to the [[Stolen Generations]]]]
In 1993, Fraser made a bid for the Liberal Party presidency but withdrew at the last minute following opposition to his bid, which was raised due to his having been critical of then Liberal leader [[John Hewson]] for losing the election earlier that year.{{sfn|Simons & Fraser|page=721}}

After 1996, Fraser was critical of the [[Howard government|Howard Coalition government]] over foreign policy issues, particularly [[John Howard]]'s alignment with the foreign policy of the [[George W. Bush|Bush]] administration, which Fraser saw as damaging Australian relationships in Asia. He opposed Howard's policy on [[asylum-seekers]], campaigned in support of an [[Republicanism in Australia|Australian Republic]] and attacked what he perceived as a lack of integrity in Australian politics, together with former Labor prime minister [[Gough Whitlam]], finding much common ground with his predecessor and his successor [[Bob Hawke]], another republican.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2005/s1503097.htm |title=7.30 Report – 10/11/2005: Fraser speaks out on Whitlam dismissal |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |access-date=25 April 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100428225706/http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2005/s1503097.htm|archive-date=28 April 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Mayoh |first=Lisa |url=http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,22741420-662,00.html |title=Malcolm Fraser, Gough Whitlam attack political integrity &#124; Herald Sun |publisher=News.com.au |date=12 November 2007 |access-date=25 April 2010 |archive-date=19 December 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071219095621/http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,22741420-662,00.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The [[2001 Australian federal election|2001 election]] continued his estrangement from the Liberal Party. Many Liberals criticised the Fraser years as "a decade of lost opportunity" on deregulation of the Australian economy and other issues. In early 2004, a [[Young Liberals (Australia)|Young Liberal]] convention in Hobart called for Fraser's life membership of the Liberal Party to be ended.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.abc.net.au/tv/qanda/txt/s2901936.htm |title=Panellist: Malcolm Fraser |work=Q&A |date=20 December 2018 |publisher=ABC TV |access-date=13 September 2013 |archive-date=12 February 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130212012829/http://www.abc.net.au/tv/qanda/txt/s2901936.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2006, Fraser criticised Howard Liberal government policies on areas such as refugees, terrorism and civil liberties, and that "if Australia continues to follow United States policies, it runs the risk of being embroiled in the [[conflict in Iraq]] for decades, and a fear of [[Islam]] in the Australian community will take years to eradicate". Fraser claimed that the way the Howard government handled the [[David Hicks]], [[Cornelia Rau]] and [[Vivian Solon]] cases was questionable.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200611/s1798610.htm |title=Fraser urges Iraq policy rethink |publisher=ABC News |access-date=30 December 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071023202014/http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200611/s1798610.htm |archive-date=23 October 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200510/s1486787.htm |title=Howard rejects Fraser's concerns |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |date=20 October 2005 |access-date=25 April 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100328193853/http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200510/s1486787.htm |archive-date=28 March 2010}}</ref>

On 20 July 2007, Fraser sent an open letter to members of the large activist group [[GetUp!]], encouraging members to support GetUp's campaign for a change in policy on Iraq including a clearly defined exit strategy.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.getup.org.au/campaign/OurOwnPlanForIraq&id=20 |title=A Message From Malcolm Fraser, Former PM |work=GetUp! |access-date=20 July 2007|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070809112518/http://www.getup.org.au/campaign/OurOwnPlanForIraq%26id%3D20 |archive-date=9 August 2007}}</ref> Fraser stated: "One of the things we should say to the Americans, quite simply, is that if the United States is not prepared to involve itself in high-level diplomacy concerning Iraq and other Middle East questions, our forces will be withdrawn before Christmas."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/fraser-call-to-pressure-us-on-iraq/2007/07/19/1184559956581.html |title=Fraser call to pressure US on Iraq |last=Grattan |first=Michelle |work=[[The Age]] |date=20 July 2007 |access-date=20 March 2015 |archive-date=23 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151123051435/http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/fraser-call-to-pressure-us-on-iraq/2007/07/19/1184559956581.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

After the defeat of the Howard government at the [[2007 Australian federal election|2007 federal election]], Fraser claimed Howard approached him in a corridor, following a cabinet meeting in May 1977 regarding [[Vietnamese people|Vietnamese]] [[refugee]]s, and said: "We don't want too many of these people. We're doing this just for show, aren't we?" The claims were made by Fraser in an interview to mark the release of the 1977 cabinet papers. Howard, through a spokesman, denied having made the comment.<ref>{{cite news |author=Mike Steketee, National Affairs editor |url=http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,22993100-601,00.html |title=Howard in war refugee snub: Fraser |work=The Australian |date=1 January 2008 |access-date=25 April 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090414212817/http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,22993100-601,00.html|archive-date=14 April 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In October 2007 Fraser gave a speech to Melbourne Law School on terrorism and "the importance of the rule of law,"<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.law.unimelb.edu.au/lawajax/eventDetails.cfm?diaryid=3356 |title=Inaugural Professorial Lecture – 'Finding Security in Terrorism's Shadow: the Importance of the Rule of Law' presented by Rt Hon Malcolm Fraser AC CH |date=25 October 2007 |publisher=Melbourne Law School |quote=The six decades since the advent of the United Nations have been marked by significant progress towards the ideal of a world ruled by law. In Professor Fraser's view, the Bush Administration, in its pursuit of its self-declared 'global war on terror', has done much to retard this progress. In his inaugural Professorial Lecture, he will address this regression and the Howard government's complicity in it, with his own suggestions for restoring the rule of law.|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402160537/http://www.law.unimelb.edu.au/lawajax/eventDetails.cfm?diaryid=3356 |archive-date=2 April 2015}}</ref> which Liberal MP [[Sophie Mirabella]]<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/outspoken-liberal-mp-defends-apology-boycott/2008/02/14/1202760494786.html |title=Ms Mirabella boycotted the historic national apology to the 'Stolen Generations' |work=The Age |date=14 February 2008 |access-date=25 April 2010 |location=Melbourne |first1=Misha |last1=Schubert |first2=Dewi |last2=Cooke |archive-date=20 January 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100120092551/http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/outspoken-liberal-mp-defends-apology-boycott/2008/02/14/1202760494786.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
condemned in January 2008, claiming errors and "either intellectual sloppiness or deliberate dishonesty", and claimed that he tacitly supported Islamic fundamentalism, that he should have no influence on foreign policy, and claimed his stance on the [[war on terror]] had left him open to caricature as a "frothing-at-the-mouth leftie".<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/liberal-mp-attacks-frothing-fraser/2008/01/05/1198950131148.html |title=Liberal MP attacks 'frothing' Fraser– National |work=The Age |date=6 January 2008 |access-date=25 April 2010 |location=Melbourne |first=Reid |last=Sexton |archive-date=8 April 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090408235230/http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/liberal-mp-attacks-frothing-fraser/2008/01/05/1198950131148.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Shortly after [[Tony Abbott]] won the [[Liberal Party of Australia leadership spill, 2009|2009 Liberal Party leadership spill]], Fraser ended his Liberal Party membership,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.theage.com.au/national/former-pm-malcolm-fraser-quits-liberal-party-20100526-wbes.html |title=Malcolm Fraser Quits Liberal Party: The Age 26/5/2010 |work=The Age |date=26 May 2010 |access-date=5 June 2010 |location=Melbourne |first=Paul |last=Austin}}</ref> stating the party was "no longer a liberal party but a conservative party".<ref>{{cite web |last=Gillham |first=Alexis |url=http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/former-pm-malcolm-fraser-quits-liberals/story-e6frf7jo-1225871380387 |title=Former PM Malcolm Fraser quits Liberals: Herald Sun 26/5/2010 |work=Herald Sun |date=26 May 2010 |access-date=5 June 2010 |archive-date=11 May 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511041311/http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/former-pm-malcolm-fraser-quits-liberals/story-e6frf7jo-1225871380387 |url-status=live }}</ref>