Editing Malcolm Fraser (section)

==Opposition (1972–1975)==
[[File:Malcolm Fraser 1974 (cropped).jpg|thumb|left|Fraser in 1974.]]
After the Coalition lost the [[1972 Australian federal election|1972 election]], Fraser was [[1972 Liberal Party of Australia leadership election|one of five candidates]] for the Liberal leadership that had been vacated by McMahon. He outpolled John Gorton and [[James Killen]], but was eliminated on the third ballot. [[Billy Snedden]] eventually defeated [[Nigel Bowen]] by a single vote on the fifth ballot. In the new [[shadow cabinet of Australia|shadow cabinet]] – which featured only Liberals – Fraser was given responsibility for primary industry. This was widely seen as a snub, as the new portfolio kept him mostly out of the public eye and was likely to be given to a member of the Country Party when the Coalition returned to government.<ref>Ayres (1987), p. 203.</ref> In an August 1973 reshuffle, Snedden instead made him the Liberals' spokesman for industrial relations. He had hoped to be given responsibility for foreign affairs (in place of the retiring Nigel Bowen), but that role was given to [[Andrew Peacock]].<ref name="Ayres">Ayres (1987), p. 213.</ref> Fraser oversaw the development of the party's new industrial relations policy, which was released in April 1974. It was seen as more flexible and even-handed than the policy that the Coalition had pursued in government, and was received well by the media.<ref>Ayres (1987), pp. 214–220.</ref> According to Fraser's biographer [[Philip James Ayres|Philip Ayres]], by "putting a new policy in place, he managed to modify his public image and emerge as an excellent communicator across a traditionally hostile divide".<ref name="Ayres"/>

===Leader of the Opposition===
After the Liberals lost the [[1974 Australian federal election|1974 election]], Fraser unsuccessfully challenged Snedden for the leadership in November. Despite surviving the challenge, Snedden's position in opinion polls continued to decline and he was unable to get the better of Whitlam in the Parliament. Fraser again challenged Snedden on 21 March 1975, this time succeeding and becoming Leader of the Liberal Party and [[Leader of the Opposition (Australia)|Leader of the Opposition]].

===Role in the Dismissal===
{{main|1975 Australian constitutional crisis}}
Following a series of ministerial scandals engulfing the [[Gough Whitlam|Whitlam government]] later that year, Fraser began to instruct Coalition senators to delay the government's budget bills, with the objective of forcing an early election that he believed he would win. After several months of political deadlock, during which time the government secretly explored methods of obtaining supply funding outside the Parliament, the [[Governor-General of Australia|Governor-General]], [[John Kerr (Governor-General)|Sir John Kerr]], controversially dismissed Whitlam as prime minister on 11 November 1975.<ref>In ''Matters for Judgment'', Sir John Kerr recounted having to reject (on the ground that it was unsigned) government advice to that end proffered by the attorney-general, [[Kep Enderby]].</ref>

Fraser was immediately sworn in as [[Acting (law)|caretaker]] prime minister on the condition that he end the political deadlock and call an immediate [[double dissolution]] election.

On 19 November 1975, shortly after the election had been called, a letter bomb was sent to Fraser, but it was intercepted and defused before it reached him. Similar devices were sent to the governor-general and the [[Premier of Queensland]], [[Joh Bjelke-Petersen]].<ref>{{cite news |last=O'Malley |first=Brendan |date=8 October 2009 |title=Letter bomb spells an explosive end to innocence |url=http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/features/letter-bomb-spells-an-explosive-end-to-innocence/story-e6freoro-1225784782981 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130627215843/http://www.couriermail.com.au/archive/news/letter-bomb-spells-an-explosive-end-to-innocence/story-e6freoro-1225784782981 |archive-date=27 June 2013 |access-date=22 April 2013 |work=[[The Courier-Mail]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=1975-11-20 |title=Letter bombs: two injured |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/102186625 |access-date=2025-03-14 |work=[[The Canberra Times]]}}</ref>