Drew Fraser

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Andrew Fraser addressing the Sydney Forum, August 2006

Andrew William Fraser (also known as Drew Fraser) (born in 1944) is a Canadian-born academic and was latterly an Associate Professor in the Department of Public Law at Macquarie University in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Fraser holds a BA (Hons) and an LLB from Queen's University, an LLM from Harvard University, and an MA from the University of North Carolina [1].

In July, 2005, he received national attention in Australia by opposing non-white immigration, saying that Australia should withdraw from refugee conventions to avoid becoming "a colony of the Third World" and that African immigration increased crime rates. [2] [3]

Macquarie University responded by saying that they distance themselves from Professor Fraser's remarks, but backed the right of academics to say what they wish in a responsible way. The acting Vice-Chancellor, Professor John Loxton, stated there was no place for racism at the university, but it "recognises and protects academic freedom as essential to the conduct of teaching, research and scholarship".

Fraser was accused of being affiliated with White Supremacist groups, including the Patriotic Youth League (PYL), by the anti-racist group FightDemBack. Although both he and the PYL initially denied any connection, Fraser admitted he had attended PYL meetings and signed up to the PYL website after video footage of a PYL member describing him as an official legal adviser surfaced. [4]

Following an outcry from Sydney's Sudanese community, Macquarie University Vice Chancellor Dianne Yerbury on July 29, 2005 decided to suspend Fraser from teaching any further at the campus on the grounds that the race debate was "threatening to spill over into the classroom" and was "affecting the university's ability to operate effectively." [5] Macquarie University offered to pay out the final year of his contract but Fraser declined, describing the offer as a "dishonorable discharge".

Fraser's suspension ended in February, 2006. [6]

In September 2005, Fraser wrote an article advocating a return of the White Australia Policy, entitled "Rethinking the White Australia Policy'' The article was set to be published in the law journal of the Deakin University but the decision was later reversed under threat of a lawsuit. [7]. Rethinking the White Australia Policy has since been published and circulated across the internet.

In December, 2005 Fraser further criticised multi-racialism in Australia by writing an article regarding the 2005 Cronulla riots. As with Rethinking the White Australia Policy, the article was only published on the internet.

Andrew Fraser addressed the American Renaissance Conference in February 2006, alongside speakers such as Nick Griffin of the British National Party and Professor J. Phillipe Ruston. This was followed up later in the year with appearances at the Inverell political forum in March and at the Sydney Forum in August alongside speakers which included Jim Saleam of the Australia First Party.

Fraser retired from Macquarie University in mid-2006.