Editing Malcolm Fraser (section)

==Cabinet Minister and Gorton downfall==
[[File:CSIRO ScienceImage 2336 Visiting the Dish.jpg|right|upright|thumb|Fraser as Minister for Education and Science in 1969, with [[John England (politician)|John England]]]]
In 1966, after Fraser had spent more than a decade on the backbench, [[Robert Menzies|Sir Robert Menzies]] retired as prime minister. His successor [[Harold Holt]] appointed Fraser to the [[First Holt Ministry|ministry]] as [[Minister for Defence (Australia)|Minister for the Army]]. In that position, Fraser presided over the controversial [[Conscription in Australia#Vietnam War|Vietnam War conscription program]].

Under the new prime minister, [[John Gorton]], he was elevated to [[Cabinet of Australia|Cabinet]] as [[Minister for Education (Australia)|Minister for Education and Science]]. In 1969 he was promoted to [[Minister for Defence (Australia)|Minister for Defence]], a particularly challenging post at the time, given the height of Australia's involvement in the [[Vietnam War]] and the protests against it.

In March 1971 Fraser abruptly resigned from the Cabinet in protest at what he called Gorton's "interference in (his) ministerial responsibilities", and denounced Gorton on the floor of the [[Australian House of Representatives|House of Representatives]] as "not fit to hold the great office of Prime Minister".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.standard.net.au/story/794020/life-and-spaghetti-on-the-frasers-farm/ |title=Life and spaghetti on the Frasers' farm |author=Mary Alexander |date=15 July 2011 |quote=Mr Fraser stood up in Parliament on March 10, 1971, and announced his resignation as defence minister. Mr Fraser slammed prime minister John Gorton's interference in his ministerial responsibilities and accused him of disloyalty, saying he was 'not fit to hold the great office of Prime minister'. |work=standard.net.au |access-date=20 March 2015 |archive-date=2 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402183955/http://www.standard.net.au/story/794020/life-and-spaghetti-on-the-frasers-farm/ |url-status=live }}</ref> This precipitated a series of events which eventually led to the downfall of Gorton and his replacement as prime minister by [[William McMahon]]. In the [[1971 Liberal Party of Australia leadership spill|leadership contest]] that followed Gorton's resignation, Fraser unsuccessfully contested the deputy Liberal leadership against Gorton and [[David Fairbairn (politician)|David Fairbairn]]. Gorton never forgave Fraser for the role he played in his downfall; to the day Gorton died in 2002, he could not bear to be in the same room with Fraser.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/05/31/1022569833464.html |title=Hughes's wintry blast for the undertaker PM |work=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |date=1 June 2002 |access-date=20 March 2015 |archive-date=24 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924122409/http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/05/31/1022569833464.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Fraser remained on the backbenches until he was reinstated to Cabinet in his old position of Minister for Education and Science by McMahon in August 1971, immediately following Gorton's sacking as deputy Liberal leader by McMahon. When the Liberals were defeated at the [[1972 Australian federal election|1972 election]] by the [[Australian Labor Party|Labor Party]] under [[Gough Whitlam]], McMahon resigned and Fraser became [[Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations (Australia)|Shadow Minister for Labour]] under [[Billy Snedden]].