Former Australian Deputy Prime Minister Tim Fischer Dies at 73

Former Australian Deputy Prime Minister Tim Fischer Dies at 73
Tim Fischer, a former Australian deputy Prime Minister during the Howard Government, in front of St Peter's Basilica on Feb. 19, 2010. Andreas Solaro/AFP/Getty Images
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SYDNEY—Former Australian deputy prime minister Tim Fischer has died aged 73.

Fischer was the quintessential, laconic rural Australian, always wearing a rabbit-skin Akubra hat. He described campaigning for elections as going on the “wombat trail”, a reference to the marsupial wombat that can be found in burrows dotted around farmlands.