--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In 1995, the Paul Keating Labor…" description: "\"In 1995, the Paul Keating Labor government commissioned an inquiry into the forcible removal of Aboriginal children.\" — Richard Flanagan" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e6/richard-flanagan-2253_aboriginal_in-1995-the-paul-keating-labor-governmen_103550.jpg" --- # In 1995, the Paul Keating Labor government commissioned an… ![“In 1995, the Paul Keating Labor government commissioned an inquiry into the forcible removal of Aboriginal children.” quote by Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e6/richard-flanagan-2253_aboriginal_in-1995-the-paul-keating-labor-governmen_103550.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e6/richard-flanagan-2253_aboriginal_in-1995-the-paul-keating-labor-governmen_103550.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e6/richard-flanagan-2253_aboriginal_in-1995-the-paul-keating-labor-governmen_103550.jpg) > “In 1995, the Paul Keating Labor government commissioned an inquiry into the forcible removal of Aboriginal children.” [Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Notes the Australian government's 1995 commission investigating the forced removal of Indigenous children, known as the Stolen Generations. **In simple terms:** 1995 inquiry into forced removal of Aboriginal children. Key Takeaway Historical reckoning with Indigenous trauma. Themes history indigenous rights government policy Mood somber inquisitive Type historical statement policy reference When to use this quote - educational curricula - legal redress processes - public memorials Key Concepts colonial legacy reconciliation Practical Applications - support truth‑and‑reconciliation commissions - promote culturally informed policy Questions to Reflect On - What lasting impacts did the removals have on communities? - How can policy effectively redress past harms? A Different Perspective Official inquiries may not fully address ongoing systemic inequities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Aboriginal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aboriginal/) [Aboriginal Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aboriginal-children-1248808/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Commissioned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/commissioned/) [Commissioned Inquiry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/commissioned-inquiry-1248807/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Inquiry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inquiry/) [Keating Labor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/keating-labor-1248806/) [Labor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/labor/) [Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paul/) [Paul Keating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paul-keating-1185290/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Removal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/removal/) [Removal Aboriginal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/removal-aboriginal-269796/) ## Related quotes > [The Labor roots are very strong.Paul Keating, made a comment several years ago about looking at that dragging yourself out of poverty, dragging yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mundine/the-labor-roots-are-very-strong-paul-keating-made-a-comment-several/) [Warren Mundine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mundine/) > [We apologise for the laws and policies of successive parliaments and governments that have inflicted profound grief, suffering and loss on these our fellow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-rudd/we-apologise-for-the-laws-and-policies-of-successive-parliaments-and/) [Kevin Rudd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-rudd/) > [I was so proud when I was commissioned into the Army.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammy-duckworth/i-was-so-proud-when-i-was-commissioned-into-the-army/) [Tammy Duckworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammy-duckworth/) > [I commissioned this artist to make these silver tomahawks by hand. Larry Sellers, who plays Cloud Dancing on the show, blessed and cleansed them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-lando/i-commissioned-this-artist-to-make-these-silver-tomahawks-by-hand/) [Joe Lando](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-lando/) > [I believe Moses was 80 when God first commissioned him for public service.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-believe-moses-was-80-when-god-first-commissioned-him-for-public/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [I know that a ridiculous number of classic serials have been commissioned, and that reviews show a reaction against them. The critics seem fed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-davies/i-know-that-a-ridiculous-number-of-classic-serials-have-been/) [Andrew Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-davies/) > [I served in all commissioned ranks from a second Lieutenant to a Major General. And during that time, I spent most of my time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/smedley-butler/i-served-in-all-commissioned-ranks-from-a-second-lieutenant-to-a/) [Smedley Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/smedley-butler/) > [Topshop is one of my favourite shops, and I love shoes by Giuseppe Zanotti. There's a graduate fashion designer called Kate Falcus who makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-mvula/topshop-is-one-of-my-favourite-shops-and-i-love-shoes-by-giuseppe/) [Laura Mvula](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-mvula/) > [The concept of who your audience is becomes more important than your site. Sometimes you can be commissioned to do a piece in Strasburg,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-weiner/the-concept-of-who-your-audience-is-becomes-more-important-than-your/) [Lawrence Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-weiner/) > [We commissioned an independent statutory economic body - the Productivity Commission - to review the possibility of funding a disability scheme. The commission returned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-shorten/we-commissioned-an-independent-statutory-economic-body-the/) [Bill Shorten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-shorten/) > [I wish I'd been better able to resist the sense of obligation to write some of the poems I did. It's in the nature…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-motion/i-wish-i-d-been-better-able-to-resist-the-sense-of-obligation-to/) [Andrew Motion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-motion/) > [On the first season of our show, I commissioned a Native American artist to make up, 'cause I'm known for the tomahawk, besides the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-lando/on-the-first-season-of-our-show-i-commissioned-a-native-american/) [Joe Lando](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-lando/) > [There's still a lot I need to do as a player, as a musician, as a sound creator. I have commissioned 170 pieces: that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-glennie/there-s-still-a-lot-i-need-to-do-as-a-player-as-a-musician-as-a-sound/) [Evelyn Glennie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-glennie/) > [I was commissioned in 2003 to create an original show, and began developing 'Upwake.' 'Upwake' tells the story of Zero, a modern-day business man,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-tsakos/i-was-commissioned-in-2003-to-create-an-original-show-and-began/) [Natasha Tsakos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-tsakos/) > [“The novelist is like a scout commissioned to go and see what is happening in the depth of the soul. He comes back and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julien-green/the-novelist-is-like-a-scout-commissioned-to-go-and-see-what-is/) [Julien Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julien-green/) ## More by Richard Flanagan > [I went to study at Oxford University in the 1980s on an imperial scholarship instituted by Cecil Rhodes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/i-went-to-study-at-oxford-university-in-the-1980s-on-an-imperial/) [Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/) > [Writing is not lying, nor is it theft. It is a journey and search for transparency between one’s words and one’s soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/writing-is-not-lying-nor-is-it-theft-it-is-a-journey-and-search-for/) [Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/) > [In reading, you sense the divine: the things that are larger and greater and more mysterious than yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/in-reading-you-sense-the-divine-the-things-that-are-larger-and/) [Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/) > [Within white Australia, there was a growing movement for what was known as reconciliation - a movement that peaked with millions marching in 2000…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/within-white-australia-there-was-a-growing-movement-for-what-was/) [Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/) > [Murder and hate are as deeply buried in the human heart as love, perhaps more so, and in truth they're rather entwined, and if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/murder-and-hate-are-as-deeply-buried-in-the-human-heart-as-love/) [Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/) > [My father was the first to read in his family, and he said to me that words were the first beautiful thing he ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/my-father-was-the-first-to-read-in-his-family-and-he-said-to-me-that/) [Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/) > [I grew up in a world that was clannish - old Tasmanian-Irish families with big extended families.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/i-grew-up-in-a-world-that-was-clannish-old-tasmanian-irish-families/) [Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/) > [If 30 Australians drowned in Sydney Harbour, it would be a national tragedy. But when 30 or more refugees drown off the Australian coast,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/if-30-australians-drowned-in-sydney-harbour-it-would-be-a-national/) [Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/) > [The enslavement, humiliation, torture, and ultimate destruction of thousands upon thousands of human beings for a project for which there was ultimately no purpose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/the-enslavement-humiliation-torture-and-ultimate-destruction-of/) [Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/) > [In Tasmania, an island the size of Ireland whose primeval forests astonished 19th-century Europeans, an incomprehensible ecological tragedy is being played out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/in-tasmania-an-island-the-size-of-ireland-whose-primeval-forests/) [Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/) > [You have to attempt to find new forms that will force you to write freshly and better and hopefully more truthfully.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/you-have-to-attempt-to-find-new-forms-that-will-force-you-to-write/) [Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/) > [My mother hoped I'd be a plumber.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/my-mother-hoped-i-d-be-a-plumber/) [Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/) > [Family matters, friends matter, love matters. Those you love and who love you matter. That's what writing does - it allows you to say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/family-matters-friends-matter-love-matters-those-you-love-and-who/) [Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/) > [A good book ... leaves you wanting to reread the book. A great book compels you to reread your own soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/a-good-book-leaves-you-wanting-to-reread-the-book-a-great-book/) [Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/) > [I am an admirer of haiku, and I'm a great admirer of Japanese literature in general.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/i-am-an-admirer-of-haiku-and-i-m-a-great-admirer-of-japanese/) [Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/) [Explore all 176 Richard Flanagan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/) ## More Aboriginal quotes > [I won the seat of Oxley largely on an issue that has resulted in me being called a racist. That issue related to my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pauline-hanson/i-won-the-seat-of-oxley-largely-on-an-issue-that-has-resulted-in-me/) [Pauline Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pauline-hanson/) > [I'd much rather people knew me as a good tennis player than as an aboriginal who happens to play good tennis. Of course I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evonne-goolagong-cawley/i-d-much-rather-people-knew-me-as-a-good-tennis-player-than-as-an/) [Evonne Goolagong Cawley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evonne-goolagong-cawley/) > [One of my earliest memories is being backstage at 'Bran Nue Dae' in Darwin when I was about eight. It's such a fun, happy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shari-sebbens/one-of-my-earliest-memories-is-being-backstage-at-bran-nue-dae-in/) [Shari Sebbens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shari-sebbens/) > [Aboriginal people are key because they have a different sense of where we belong and how we interact with nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-suzuki/aboriginal-people-are-key-because-they-have-a-different-sense-of/) [David Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-suzuki/) > [We've had real strong aboriginal male artists who've crossed over to the mainstream who have toured the U.K., who have been a massive influence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-mauboy/we-ve-had-real-strong-aboriginal-male-artists-who-ve-crossed-over-to/) [Jessica Mauboy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-mauboy/) > [Genius . . . arises in the natural, aboriginal concern for the conscious unity of all phenomena.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-hunter-austin/genius-arises-in-the-natural-aboriginal-concern-for-the-conscious/) [Mary Hunter Austin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-hunter-austin/) > [The native American has been generally despised by his white conquerors for his poverty and simplicity. They forget, perhaps, that his religion forbade the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-alexander-eastman/the-native-american-has-been-generally-despised-by-his-white/) [Charles Alexander Eastman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-alexander-eastman/) > [The families of Aboriginals who have died in custody in NSW will suffer again because of these white lies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-murray/the-families-of-aboriginals-who-have-died-in-custody-in-nsw-will/) [Arthur Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-murray/) > [Over 120 Aboriginal communities run their own health services - some have been doing so for 30 years. They struggle with difficult medical problems.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-fraser/over-120-aboriginal-communities-run-their-own-health-services-some/) [Malcolm Fraser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-fraser/) > [“If they follow the way of Money Chiefs, they shall die. Earth is sick and can no longer care for her children. Now, Earth’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fr-d-ric-perrin/if-they-follow-the-way-of-money-chiefs-they-shall-die-earth-is-sick/) [Frédéric Perrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fr-d-ric-perrin/) > [I have written with some amazing singers and songwriters - the moment with Snoop Dogg was amazing - but being able to tell an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-mauboy/i-have-written-with-some-amazing-singers-and-songwriters-the-moment/) [Jessica Mauboy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-mauboy/) > [In the European tradition, rivers are seen as divisions between peoples. But in the Aboriginal tradition, rivers are seen as the glue, the highway,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ralston-saul/in-the-european-tradition-rivers-are-seen-as-divisions-between/) [John Ralston Saul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ralston-saul/) > [People look at me, and they don't see what they think is a typical Aboriginal. I always thought I'd be the white person in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shari-sebbens/people-look-at-me-and-they-don-t-see-what-they-think-is-a-typical/) [Shari Sebbens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shari-sebbens/) > [The most ultimately righteous of all wars is a war with savages, though it is apt to be also the most terrible and inhuman.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/the-most-ultimately-righteous-of-all-wars-is-a-war-with-savages/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [In 1976 I was working in the Gulf Country around Cape York, in an aboriginal community of about 300 people. The Health Department sent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/archie-kalokerinos/in-1976-i-was-working-in-the-gulf-country-around-cape-york-in-an/) [Archie Kalokerinos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/archie-kalokerinos/) [Browse all 184 Aboriginal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aboriginal/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In 1995, the Paul Keating Labor government commissioned an inquiry into the forcible removal of Aboriginal children.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Richard Flanagan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/in-1995-the-paul-keating-labor-government-commissioned-an-inquiry/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Aboriginal" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/in-1995-the-paul-keating-labor-government-commissioned-an-inquiry/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e6/richard-flanagan-2253_aboriginal_in-1995-the-paul-keating-labor-governmen_103550.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e6/richard-flanagan-2253_aboriginal_in-1995-the-paul-keating-labor-governmen_103550.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e6/richard-flanagan-2253_aboriginal_in-1995-the-paul-keating-labor-governmen_103550.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In 1995, the Paul Keating Labor government commissioned an inquiry into the forcible removal of Aboriginal…” — Richard Flanagan", "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": "Richard Flanagan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "In 1995, the Paul Keating Labor...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/in-1995-the-paul-keating-labor-government-commissioned-an-inquiry/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/in-1995-the-paul-keating-labor-government-commissioned-an-inquiry/#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 } } ] } ```