Guide to the Papers of Allan Fraser, 1943-1976

Summary

Collection number:

MS 1844

Creator:

Allan Fraser

Extent:

7.4 metres and (36 boxes + 3 map folios + 2 folios)

Language:

English

Preferred citation:

Items from this collection should be cited as '[Title or description of manuscript item], Papers of Allan Fraser, National Library of Australia, MS 1844, [box number and series and/or file number]'.

Availability:

Available

Access conditions:

Available for reference. Not for loan.

Background

Content Summary:

Allan Fraser's collection documents his career as a journalist and as the Member for Eden Monaro in the House of Representatives from 1943 until 1966 and from 1969 until 1972.

Two groups of papers were given to the National Library by Allan Fraser in 1967 and in 1969, during the years after his defeat in the general elections of 1966. They consist of scripts of weekly broadcasts and telecasts for the years from 1949 until 1966 and correspondence and subject files from 1944 until 1966.

The remainder of the collection was directed to the Library by Mrs Eda Fraser in 1979 and in 1982 after the death of her husband in 1977. The 1979 consignment comprised correspondence; scripts of speeches; notes on electoral issues; news cuttings; pre-selection and election campaign material for the seat of Eden Monaro (1943) and subject files.

The final group of papers received in 1982 was used extensively by Fraser's niece, Helen Fraser in the preparation of her master's thesis entitled, "Allan Fraser and the Australian Labor Party: a dissenting member and his party."

Allan Fraser's electorate was based on the rural cities of Goulburn and Queanbeyan, towns of Cooma and Crookwell and the South Coast towns of Bega, Eden, Moruya, Bateman's Bay and Milton. The collection reflects the interests of these centres including the demands of the large group of ethnic workers with the Snowy Mountains Authority.

Notable is the virtual absence of papers relating to Fraser's membership of the Board of the Canberra Community Hospital on which he served for twenty seven years.

A preliminary list of the first three consignments (3.2 metres) was prepared by Library officers in 1979. The 1982 consignment consisting of 2.24 metres has been sorted into ten series each of which is described briefly.

As part of the Library's Oral History Program, Allan Fraser spoke with journalist Mel Pratt in 1975 about his reminiscences and opinions of each Australian Prime Minister from Alfred Deakin to Gough Whitlam. (TRC 121/66). The Library's Oral History collection also contains the tapes of the speech made by Fraser at the unveiling of the Captain Cook Bi-centenary plaque, Lilac Time Hall, Goulburn 3 April 1970 (TRC 114) and his interview with Mrs Hazel De Berg in 1967 (De Berg Tape 255, 256). These tapes and their transcripts together with Helen Fraser's thesis, (MS 6602) are also available for research in the Rare Book and Manuscript Reading Room.

On the decision of Mrs Eda Fraser the Allan Fraser collection is now available to researches in the National Library.

As a complement to his brother's collection is the rich source material contained in the papers of Jim Fraser who was the Member for the Australian Capital Territory from 1951 until his death in 1970. The Jim Fraser collection is now available to researches (MS 2802).

Biographical Note:

Allan Duncan Fraser was born on 18 September 1902 in Carlton, Victoria, a son of Donald Fraser, a surveyor and manager of a tin mine. He was educated at State schools in Victoria and Tasmania and at the Hobart High School.

In 1919 Allan Fraser joined the Hobart Mercury as a cadet journalist and continued his career on the Melbourne Argus in 1922 and subsequently worked in Sydney on the Sun and Daily Telegraph. In 1940 he joined the Daily Mirror, and worked in the Canberra Parliamentary Press Gallery from 1940 until 1943. In 1943 he resigned when he won the seat of Eden Monaro for the Australian Labor Party at the general election of that year.

During his career as a journalist he worked almost entirely in the political area. He held many offices in the Australian Journalists Association and in 1943 was President of the A.J.A. and also President of the Parliamentary Press Gallery.

When Allan Fraser won the rural seat of Eden Monaro for the Australian Labor Party it had been a conservative stronghold. At that time, Canberra had no Member in the House of Representatives, so from 1943 until this was rectified in 1949, Fraser on his own initiative, shouldered the additional burden of acting informally as "the Member for the A.C.T." In 1951 he was joined in Federal Parliament by his younger brother Jim, also a journalist who was the Member for the A.C.T. until his death in 1970.

During his terms in the House of Representatives, 1943 - 1966 and 1969 - 1972, Allan Fraser served on many committees, including the Regulations Advisory Committee (Chairman, 1944 - 1946); Joint Committee on the Broadcasting of Parliamentary Proceedings (1946 - 1961); Select Committee to inquire into and report upon the Hansard of the House of Representatives (1954); Privileges Committee (1956 - 1966 and 1969 - 1972); and the Standing Orders Committee (1962 - 1963). In 1963 he was a member of the Australian delegation to the 18th Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations, New York. From 1951 until 1966 Allan Fraser was a member of the Federal Executive of the Australian Labor Party.

Throughout his years in Parliament, he conducted a weekly commentary on Australian politics through the feature "Your Member speaks" on Radio 2CA and later on Television, Channel 7.

Political Scientist, Professor L.F. Crisp wrote of Allan Fraser in the Canberra Times 6 December 1966 "One has only to mention the Regulations Advisory Committee and the National Security Act, the Japanese destroyer Yoizuki, the Communist Party Dissolution Bill, the hapless team of Brown and Fitzpatrick, the Crimes Act Amendment Bill and State - Aid to recall his deep and active personal concern for the many aspects of human rights and human freedom."

In the General Election of 1966 Fraser was defeated. He was re-elected in 1969 and retired from Federal politics in 1972.

From 1947 until 1949 he published the newspaper Australian Observer. Allan Fraser was associated in the management of the Canberra Community Hospital, from 1947 until 1973 serving as chairman or deputy chairman for twenty five of those years. In 1974 he was elected to the A.C.T. Legislative Assembly as an Independent Member.

Allan Fraser died on 12 December 1977. He was survived by his wife Eda, whom he had married in 1931, and a son Robert.

References: Australian Parliamentary Handbook, 17th ed. Canberra, Government Printer, 1971; A.D. Fraser biographical file, National Library of Australia; Rydon, Joan, A biographical register of the Commonwealth Parliament 1901 - 1972; Who's who in Australia, 22nd ed., 1977.

Indexed terms

Names:

Allan Fraser

Conditions Governing Access:

Please refer to the collection's catalogue record (http://nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn738575) for the access conditions.

Conditions Governing Use:

Copying and publishing of unpublished manuscript material is subject to copyright restrictions. For such material, written permission to publish must be obtained from the copyright holder(s). Copying of unpublished material for research purposes is permissible 50 years after the death of the creator of the material.

Preferred citation:

Items from this collection should be cited as '[Title or description of manuscript item], Papers of Allan Fraser, National Library of Australia, MS 1844, [box number and series and/or file number]'.

Location of this collection:

National Library of Australia

Parkes Place

Canberra ACT 2600, Australia

Contact:

Contact us