Premier Will Hodgman and State Growth Minister Matthew Groom yesterday both shared fond memories of their fathers serving as ministers under the political giant.

"He was a great family friend of mine but also the Grooms, he was someone I saw a lot of growing up," Mr Hodgman said.

"He had a soft spot for Tassie, he came here to fish - a favourite recreational pursuit of his."

Mr Hodgman said Mr Fraser would be "absolutely delighted" with the federal government's decision to extend the Tasmanian Freight Equalisation Scheme, a scheme he implemented in 1976.

"His legacy here in Tasmania is special," he said.

Tasmanian Liberal Senator Eric Abetz said Mr Fraser was a "strong friend to Tasmania throughout his prime ministership".

"In 1980 Malcolm Fraser established the Australian Maritime College in Launceston as a world-class centre for maritime studies and expertise," Senator Abetz said.

Mr Fraser also moved the Australian Antarctic Division from Melbourne to Southern Tasmania in 1981.

Senator Abetz said the move recognised Tasmania's strong scientific and practical links with Antarctica and Macquarie Island.

"On a personal level, Malcolm and Tamie Fraser loved holidaying in Tasmania and maintained a fishing shack in the Central Highlands where he could indulge his passion for fly-fishing," he said.

Labor leader Bryan Green said Mr Fraser would be remembered for his leadership in humanity.

"Obviously he was very conservative and as a young person I rallied against him, but I have to also say from a social point of view that he led the Liberal Party down a different path," Mr Green said.

"He showed he had a heart, and I supported the way he attacked apartheid and also helped asylum seekers."

Mr Green said he first met Mr Fraser at the world fly-fishing championships in 1988, and enjoyed seeing him and his wife in the Central Highlands.

Greens leader Kim Booth said Mr Fraser left a "significant humanitarian legacy".

"Malcolm Fraser's fierce and principled advocacy for human rights, both at home and internationally, transcended the political divide," Mr Booth said.