Former federal Labor leader and governor-general Bill Hayden is being remembered as a great Australian after his death aged 90.

He led Labor in opposition from 1977 to 1983 before serving as foreign minister in Bob Hawke’s government.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Mr Hayden was a Labor legend who laid the foundations for the reforms pursued by the Hawke–Keating governments.

“If Bill Hayden left no other legacy than as a key architect of universal healthcare, he would still stand for all time as a legend of our labour movement and a great contributor to our nation,” Mr Albanese said on Saturday.