Though I share Australian Greens Leader Christine Milne’s statement that “It is with great sadness that we mark the passing of former Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser”, in my memory he will never be free of the ordure created by the dismissal of the democratically elected Whitlam government.

It can never be forgotten, let alone forgiven.

His redemption began with his welcoming refugees from Vietnam after the conclusion of its civil war, in which we shamefully intervened, though I wondered if his policy wasn’t motivated by the fact that the refugees were anti-communists.   

However, as prime minister he was also firmly against the Apartheid regime in South Africa, and white ruled Rhodesia, and there was no possibility of anti-communism there.   

Another hallmark of Malcolm Fraser's contribution to Australia deserving praise was his dedication to building a peaceful multicultural society.

We owe much to him, and I’m eternally grateful for that.

He also he offered leadership in social justice issues and provided a vision for an Australia that embraced a fair go for everyone.

Though this felt like “noblesse oblige” to me, he turned out to be a true small “l” liberal, and in retrospect it is not surprising that he left the Liberal Party, which he correctly saw had become a conservative one.

Mr Fraser, who led the Liberal Party from 1975 to 1983, quit the party in 2009, shortly after Tony Abbott replaced Malcolm Turnbull as leader.

He campaigned for Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young at the last election because of her stance on asylum seekers.

His courageous advocacy for refugees in more recent times has been critical in challenging the lack of human decency and breaches of international law that have shamed us as a nation.

This saw Malcolm Fraser at his best and is how I will want to remember him.

Recently I ended a column with the words “Vale Gough”.

This week I’m happy to add Malcom Fraser to that farewell.

- Ray Goodless