Australian prime minister survives censure motion

Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser survived a motion of censure in Parliament after a stormy debate in which his government was described as the most scandal-ridden in Australia's history.

Opposition Labor Party leader Bill Hayden, who said tax evasion was rampant in the upper ranks of the governing Liberal Party, made the charges while opening a debate on the government's handling of a tax-evasion scandal. Mr. Fraser, rejecting the charges, said Treasurer John Howard will return early from the IMF meeting in Canada to introduce previously announced legislation to prosecute tax evaders retroactively.