Australian Democrats founder dies aged 81

The founder of Australia's third biggest political party, the Democrats, has died in Melbourne.

Don Chipp, who was 81, had been battling Parkinson's disease.

The Democrats founder was a member of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) during World War II, and served as a councillor in the Melbourne suburb of Kew, before being elected as a Liberal MP in 1960.

He was a minister in the Holt, Gorton and McMahon governments, but resigned in 1977, dissatisfied with the policies of then prime minister, Malcolm Fraser.

"There were so many things that the Liberal party was doing and was proposing to do that was so much against what I believe, that I thought the only honourable thing to do was to resign," he said at the time.

Mr Chipp then formed the Australian Democrats, which had the stated aim of "keeping the bastards honest."

After his resignation from the Senate in 1986, he became a broadcaster and newspaper columnist, but retained an interest in his beloved party.

Australia's prime minister, John Howard described Mr Chipp as a colourful figure in Australian politics, who was passionate and committed to the causes he believed in.

"He was a believer, and whether you agreed with his beliefs or not was not really the point; he held them very passionately and he put them very strongly," Mr Howard said.

"Don Chipp has made a huge impact on Australian public life."

- RADIO AUSTRALIA