The Cowens and the Frasers welcome Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip to Canberra during the royal visit in 1977 to mark her silver jubilee. Picture: Supplied

Cowen, Paul Keating and former PM Gough Whitlam attend a memorial service for HR "Nugget" Coombs in 1997. Picture: Brett Faulkner

Cowen and then PM Malcolm Fraser arrive at the infamous Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting conference at the Hilton Hotel in Sydney in 1978. A bomb exploded outside the venue during the meeting. Picture: Supplied

Cowen, Galarrwuy Yunupingu, the then chair of the Northern Land Council, and Lady Anna Cowen attend a ceremony to makr the start of Northen Territory self-government in 1978. Picture: Supplied

Cowen and Whitlam listen to the opening exchanges of the Constitutional Convention in 1998. Picture: Chris Pavlich

Cowen and the late Richard Pratt confer after the launch of the lobby group Australian Population Institute in Melbourne in 1999. Picture: Colin Murty

Cowen shakes hands with former Fraser government minister Tony Street at the launch of Fraser's book Common Ground in 2002. Picture: Shaney Balcombe

Cowen takes part in Anzac Day ceremonies in Melbourne in 2006. Picture: Shannon Morris