---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The greatest stain upon this great…"
description: "\"The greatest stain upon this great Australian nation's character, without any question, is the great gaps that exist between our Aboriginal brothers an..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff5/bob-hawke-7891_brothers-and-sisters_the-greatest-stain-upon-this-great-austr_533733.jpg"
---

#  The greatest stain upon this great Australian nation's…

![“The greatest stain upon this great Australian nation's character, without any question, is the great gaps that exist between our Aboriginal brothers and sisters in terms of their health, their education, their living conditions, their incarceration rates and life expectancy. It's a great stain.” quote by Bob Hawke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff5/bob-hawke-7891_brothers-and-sisters_the-greatest-stain-upon-this-great-austr_533733.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff5/bob-hawke-7891_brothers-and-sisters_the-greatest-stain-upon-this-great-austr_533733.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff5/bob-hawke-7891_brothers-and-sisters_the-greatest-stain-upon-this-great-austr_533733.jpg)

> “The greatest stain upon this great Australian nation's character, without any question, is the great gaps that exist between our Aboriginal brothers and sisters in terms of their health, their education, their living conditions, their incarceration rates and life expectancy. It's a great stain.”

[Bob Hawke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-hawke/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Australia’s deep social inequities with Indigenous peoples are a moral blemish that must be addressed.

**In simple terms:** Indigenous Australians face severe health, education, and justice gaps.

Key Takeaway

Act to close these gaps now.

Themes

inequality indigenous rights social justice

Mood

concerned determined

Type

political advocacy

When to use this quote

- government policy
- community health programs
- education reform
- justice system reform
- public awareness campaigns

Key Concepts

systemic racism policy failure health disparity

Questions to Reflect On

- What policies could most effectively reduce these gaps?
- How can individuals contribute to reconciliation?

A Different Perspective

Addressing gaps requires sustained political will and resources.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Aboriginal Brothers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aboriginal-brothers-4478430/) [Australian Nation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/australian-nation-4478434/) [Brothers and sisters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brothers-and-sisters/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great/) [Great Australian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-australian-4478432/) [Great Stain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-stain-4478431/) [Greatest Stain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greatest-stain-4478433/) [Health](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/health/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life expectancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-expectancy/) [Living](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/living/)

## Related quotes

> [Remarks such as 'great Australian', 'larger than life' are sometimes used where they are not appropriate. But in the case of Kerry Packer both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-howard/remarks-such-as-great-australian-larger-than-life-are-sometimes-used/)

[John Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-howard/)

> [There is a very special place in the Australian psyche for sport. It is one of the pillars of the Australian way of life.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-howard/there-is-a-very-special-place-in-the-australian-psyche-for-sport-it/)

[John Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-howard/)

> [You know, the dirty secret in the Director's Guild is that the average life expectancy of Director's Guild members is 57 years old. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-roth/you-know-the-dirty-secret-in-the-director-s-guild-is-that-the-average/)

[Eli Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-roth/)

> [“Poverty certainly causes many other health problems, and malnutrition shortens life expectancy even in the richest countries on earth. In France, for example, 6…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/poverty-certainly-causes-many-other-health-problems-and-malnutrition/)

[Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/)

> [“Politicians are like dogs... Their life expectancy is too short for a commitment to be bearable”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-kissinger/politicians-are-like-dogs-their-life-expectancy-is-too-short-for-a/)

[Henry Kissinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-kissinger/)

> [“And when, after fifteen years of bingeing, barfing, starving, needles and tubes and terror and rage, and medical crises and personal failure and loss…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marya-hornbacher/and-when-after-fifteen-years-of-bingeing-barfing-starving-needles-and/)

[Marya Hornbacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marya-hornbacher/)

> [Latinas' life expectancies are relatively long. When a current retiree hits 65 and begins receiving her benefit check, she can expect to live another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-napolitano/latinas-life-expectancies-are-relatively-long-when-a-current-retiree/)

[Grace Napolitano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-napolitano/)

> [“The difference in life expectancy and income between China’s wealthiest cities and its poorest provinces is the difference between New York and Ghana.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-osnos/the-difference-in-life-expectancy-and-income-between-china-s/)

[Evan Osnos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-osnos/)

> [“It was unhealthy to get too attached. Such things were best reserved for people who had a life expectancy”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-s-williams/it-was-unhealthy-to-get-too-attached-such-things-were-best-reserved/)

[Matthew S. Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-s-williams/)

> [“By not burning their poppy fields to the ground but instead maintaining a security umbrella that international development agencies could safely work under as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-wood/by-not-burning-their-poppy-fields-to-the-ground-but-instead/)

[Jake Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-wood/)

> [“Violence has to become a part of your thinking. It makes you cautious, suspicious as hell, and lengthens your life expectancy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/violence-has-to-become-a-part-of-your-thinking-it-makes-you-cautious/)

[Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/)

> [Advances in science and medical research and public health policies have meant that life expectancy for Australians is one of the highest in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-bishop/advances-in-science-and-medical-research-and-public-health-policies/)

[Julie Bishop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-bishop/)

> [“So here you are, in your twenties, thinking that you’ll have another 40 years to go. Four decades in which to live long and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-tan/so-here-you-are-in-your-twenties-thinking-that-you-ll-have-another-40/)

[Adrian Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-tan/)

> [“Death was a constant fact of life. The reaper struck with fire and drowning; typhus, malaria, yellow fever, and a host of other diseases;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-weisberg/death-was-a-constant-fact-of-life-the-reaper-struck-with-fire-and/)

[Barbara Weisberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-weisberg/)

> [“While significant strides have been made in the pursuit of life expectancy, healthcare, educational opportunities, and constitutional protections for women, the Supreme Court, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-e-wilkins/while-significant-strides-have-been-made-in-the-pursuit-of-life/)

[David E. Wilkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-e-wilkins/)

## More by Bob Hawke

> [ Brian Mulroney, myself, \[and\] Rajiv Gandhi; I think that was the real core \[of the Commonwealth \]. That was the engine room, I reckon. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-hawke/brian-mulroney-myself-and-rajiv-gandhi-i-think-that-was-the-real-core/)

[Bob Hawke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-hawke/)

> [While society cannot provide employment for its members, the production/work/income nexus has to be abandoned as a justification for our present parsimony to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-hawke/while-society-cannot-provide-employment-for-its-members-the/)

[Bob Hawke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-hawke/)

> [ We \[ with Brian Mulroney and Rajiv Gandhi\] went to the meeting in Canada \[the 1987 Vancouver CHOGM\] and I said to them there… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-hawke/we-with-brian-mulroney-and-rajiv-gandhi-went-to-the-meeting-in-canada/)

[Bob Hawke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-hawke/)

> [ I told \[ David Lange\] he was crazy, because you can't have an alliance relationship if you refuse access to their ships. And the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-hawke/i-told-david-lange-he-was-crazy-because-you-can-t-have-an-alliance/)

[Bob Hawke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-hawke/)

> [I find a fence a very uncomfortable place to squat my bottom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-hawke/i-find-a-fence-a-very-uncomfortable-place-to-squat-my-bottom/)

[Bob Hawke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-hawke/)

> [ There is a reciprocal respect for \[ Elizabeth II\], for her interest in the Commonwealth. The members of the Commonwealth recognise that here is… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-hawke/there-is-a-reciprocal-respect-for-elizabeth-ii-for-her-interest-in/)

[Bob Hawke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-hawke/)

> [We are building together a nation in which there are no second-class Australians.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-hawke/we-are-building-together-a-nation-in-which-there-are-no-second-class/)

[Bob Hawke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-hawke/)

> [I had no time for Indira Gandhi. She was too much in the Russian camp for my liking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-hawke/i-had-no-time-for-indira-gandhi-she-was-too-much-in-the-russian-camp/)

[Bob Hawke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-hawke/)

> [I wrote a letter to our Australian newspaper about three weeks before the invasion and I said, "Osama bin Laden must be on his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-hawke/i-wrote-a-letter-to-our-australian-newspaper-about-three-weeks-before/)

[Bob Hawke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-hawke/)

> [I can't speak with authority about Emeka Anyaoku. I just didn't know him that well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-hawke/i-can-t-speak-with-authority-about-emeka-anyaoku-i-just-didn-t-know/)

[Bob Hawke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-hawke/)

> [ George Bush Junior \[George W Bush\] was a religious fanatic, and Tony Blair wasn't far behind in a way. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-hawke/george-bush-junior-george-w-bush-was-a-religious-fanatic-and-tony/)

[Bob Hawke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-hawke/)

> [I felt completely ready to become prime minister. I came to office better equipped, in terms of knowledge of economics and of the Australian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-hawke/i-felt-completely-ready-to-become-prime-minister-i-came-to-office/)

[Bob Hawke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-hawke/)

> [I went along with it, and wanted to appoint a significant figure in Malcolm Fraser. I didn't have high hopes that they'd be able…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-hawke/i-went-along-with-it-and-wanted-to-appoint-a-significant-figure-in/)

[Bob Hawke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-hawke/)

> [ One of the features of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meetings was \[that\] she \[ Elizabeth II\] would have a meeting with each of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-hawke/one-of-the-features-of-the-commonwealth-heads-of-government-meetings/)

[Bob Hawke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-hawke/)

> [I was used on a number of occasions by the United States and China as a conduit. For instance, I was up there talking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-hawke/i-was-used-on-a-number-of-occasions-by-the-united-states-and-china-as/)

[Bob Hawke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-hawke/)

[Explore all 86 Bob Hawke quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-hawke/)

## More Brothers and sisters quotes

> [I was 3-years-old - to this day it is a vivid memory. My family and I were on a boat, catching fish. As one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-phoenix/i-was-3-years-old-to-this-day-it-is-a-vivid-memory-my-family-and-i/)

[Joaquin Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-phoenix/)

> [There's no publicist, no advertisements, and no one's pushing us. If people are buying our records, it's because big brothers and sisters or friends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spencer-moody/there-s-no-publicist-no-advertisements-and-no-one-s-pushing-us-if/)

[Spencer Moody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spencer-moody/)

> [Brothers and Sisters, I bid you beware Of giving your heart to a dog to tear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudyard-kipling/brothers-and-sisters-i-bid-you-beware-of-giving-your-heart-to-a-dog/)

[Rudyard Kipling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudyard-kipling/)

> [Like a child exploring the attic of an old house on a rainy day, discovering a trunk full of treasure and then calling all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-h-peterson/like-a-child-exploring-the-attic-of-an-old-house-on-a-rainy-day/)

[Eugene H. Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-h-peterson/)

> [Mr. Peabody is this genetic anomaly. He does have brothers and sisters, all of them non-speaking, not super-smart dogs. He's an outcast, but has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-minkoff/mr-peabody-is-this-genetic-anomaly-he-does-have-brothers-and-sisters/)

[Rob Minkoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-minkoff/)

> [Jeremiah Wright is one of the greatest prophetic preachers that black America has produced. What I find striking is that many white brothers and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/jeremiah-wright-is-one-of-the-greatest-prophetic-preachers-that-black/)

[Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/)

> [ What are you for? It may be, to a degree, consoling that white brothers and sisters did not vote for \[Donald\] Trump, and do… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/what-are-you-for-it-may-be-to-a-degree-consoling-that-white-brothers/)

[Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/)

> [How many years has it taken people to realize that we are all brothers and sisters and human beings in the human race? I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marsha-p-johnson/how-many-years-has-it-taken-people-to-realize-that-we-are-all/)

[Marsha P. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marsha-p-johnson/)

> [I have 10 brothers and sisters. My mother raised us because my father died when I was 8.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-kennedy/i-have-10-brothers-and-sisters-my-mother-raised-us-because-my-father/)

[Kerry Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-kennedy/)

> [We have forgotten to be our brothers and sisters keepers. And we have forgotten that the Number 1 goal is to love one another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-richards/we-have-forgotten-to-be-our-brothers-and-sisters-keepers-and-we-have/)

[Ann Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-richards/)

> [The only siblings I have are half-siblings. My nuclear family would have been an extra-suffocating threesome. Instead, I have an interesting brother and sister,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-smiley/the-only-siblings-i-have-are-half-siblings-my-nuclear-family-would/)

[Jane Smiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-smiley/)

> [Brothers and sisters, white people will come in to chastise us. But since we are no longer forsaken, and are the people of God,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-farrakhan/brothers-and-sisters-white-people-will-come-in-to-chastise-us-but/)

[Louis Farrakhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-farrakhan/)

> [A father may turn his back on his child, brothers and sisters may become inveterate enemies, husbands may desert their wives, wives their husbands.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/a-father-may-turn-his-back-on-his-child-brothers-and-sisters-may/)

[Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/)

> [With a basic understanding of all humans as brothers and sisters, we can appreciate the usefulness of different systems and ideologies that can accommodate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/with-a-basic-understanding-of-all-humans-as-brothers-and-sisters-we/)

[Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/)

> [God helping me, I will help my brothers and sisters in Christ, because they are my brothers and sisters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-barber-lightfoot/god-helping-me-i-will-help-my-brothers-and-sisters-in-christ-because/)

[Joseph Barber Lightfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-barber-lightfoot/)

[Browse all 956 Brothers and sisters quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brothers-and-sisters/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The greatest stain upon this great Australian nation's character, without any question, is the great gaps that exist between our Aboriginal brothers and sisters in terms of their health, their education, their living conditions, their incarceration rates and life expectancy. It's a great stain.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Bob Hawke"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-hawke/the-greatest-stain-upon-this-great-australian-nation-s-character/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Brothers and sisters"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-hawke/the-greatest-stain-upon-this-great-australian-nation-s-character/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff5/bob-hawke-7891_brothers-and-sisters_the-greatest-stain-upon-this-great-austr_533733.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff5/bob-hawke-7891_brothers-and-sisters_the-greatest-stain-upon-this-great-austr_533733.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff5/bob-hawke-7891_brothers-and-sisters_the-greatest-stain-upon-this-great-austr_533733.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The greatest stain upon this great Australian nation's character, without any question, is the great gaps…” — Bob Hawke",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Bob Hawke",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-hawke/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The greatest stain upon this great...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-hawke/the-greatest-stain-upon-this-great-australian-nation-s-character/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-hawke/the-greatest-stain-upon-this-great-australian-nation-s-character/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
