SBS statement on the passing of former Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser
We pay tribute to former Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser on his passing.
Malcolm Fraser was a founding father of SBS. As Prime Minister he played a fundamental role in supporting the ongoing funding of Radio 2EA and 3EA, ensuring their survival and carrying them forward, before establishing SBS under legislation in 1978. He was responsible for the creation of multicultural television Channel 0/28 in 1980 — which became SBS television as Australian audiences know it today.
Mr Fraser understood and valued SBS’s point of difference. He was a champion for diversity and tolerance, which are at the very core of SBS’s purpose to celebrate multicultural diversity and contribute to social cohesion.
As we this year mark the 40th anniversary of the establishment of SBS Radio, we acknowledge the great contribution Malcolm Fraser made, not only in the development of SBS, but to Australian society as a whole.
Mr Fraser was an incredibly well-respected Australian, whose legacy is valued enormously by the SBS community.
ENDS