--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Under Malcolm Fraser's Liberal…" description: "\"Under Malcolm Fraser's Liberal governments in the 1970s, large numbers of refugees fleeing Vietnam in wretched boats were taken in without any great fu..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5eb/richard-flanagan-2253_1970s_under-malcolm-fraser-s-liberal-governmen_3087974.jpg" --- # Under Malcolm Fraser's Liberal governments in the 1970s… ![“Under Malcolm Fraser's Liberal governments in the 1970s, large numbers of refugees fleeing Vietnam in wretched boats were taken in without any great fuss.” quote by Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5eb/richard-flanagan-2253_1970s_under-malcolm-fraser-s-liberal-governmen_3087974.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5eb/richard-flanagan-2253_1970s_under-malcolm-fraser-s-liberal-governmen_3087974.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5eb/richard-flanagan-2253_1970s_under-malcolm-fraser-s-liberal-governmen_3087974.jpg) > “Under Malcolm Fraser's Liberal governments in the 1970s, large numbers of refugees fleeing Vietnam in wretched boats were taken in without any great fuss.” [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. Australia accepted many Vietnamese refugees in the 1970s with minimal controversy, showing a compassionate humanitarian response. **In simple terms:** Australia welcomed Vietnamese refugees calmly. Key Takeaway Recognize and support humane refugee policies. Themes humanitarianism policy migration compassion government Mood compassionate reflective Type historical policy humanitarian When to use this quote - government decision-making - public debate - media coverage Key Concepts refugee resettlement human rights public opinion political climate Questions to Reflect On - What motivated Australia's refugee intake? - How does public sentiment shape refugee policies? A Different Perspective While widely praised, some critics argue the policy was driven by political optics rather than pure altruism. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [1970s](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/zz-1970s-440/) [Any](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/any/) [Boats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boats/) [Fleeing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fleeing/) [Fleeing Vietnam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fleeing-vietnam-5296434/) [Fuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fuss/) [Governments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/governments/) [Governments 1970S](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/governments-1970s-5296435/) [Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great/) [Immigration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immigration/) [Large](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/large/) [Large numbers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/large-numbers/) [Liberal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberal/) [Liberal Governments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberal-governments-914473/) [Malcolm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/malcolm/) [Numbers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/numbers/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Refugees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/refugees/) [Refugees Fleeing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/refugees-fleeing-1234815/) [Taken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taken/) [Vietnam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vietnam/) [Were](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/were/) [Without](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/without/) [Wretched](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wretched/) ## Related quotes > [Too often in recent history liberal governments have been wrecked on rocks of loose fiscal policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-d-roosevelt/too-often-in-recent-history-liberal-governments-have-been-wrecked-on/) [Franklin D. Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-d-roosevelt/) > [Look at the reactions of liberal governments to the surveillance revelations during the last years. In the United States, we've got this big debate,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/look-at-the-reactions-of-liberal-governments-to-the-surveillance/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [Banning refugees from fleeing west Africa is like shuttering up the windows while a house burns down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-hanson-young/banning-refugees-from-fleeing-west-africa-is-like-shuttering-up-the/) [Sarah Hanson-Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-hanson-young/) > [Syrian refugees fleeing to Europe do not go through anything like the rigorous process experienced by those who are coming to the States, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/syrian-refugees-fleeing-to-europe-do-not-go-through-anything-like-the/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [Social niceties are not in order for men who would turn away refugees fleeing for their lives based on their faith to have them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rashida-tlaib/social-niceties-are-not-in-order-for-men-who-would-turn-away-refugees/) [Rashida Tlaib](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rashida-tlaib/) > ['Malcolm X' is my favorite Spike Lee movie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-stallworth/malcolm-x-is-my-favorite-spike-lee-movie/) [Ron Stallworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-stallworth/) > [I can't wait to work with Peter Capaldi as the next 'Doctor.' I know him from old; he's such a lovely man and will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neve-mcintosh/i-can-t-wait-to-work-with-peter-capaldi-as-the-next-doctor-i-know-him/) [Neve McIntosh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neve-mcintosh/) > [I identify... with the ideas that Malcolm X stood for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winnie-madikizela-mandela/i-identify-with-the-ideas-that-malcolm-x-stood-for/) [Winnie Madikizela-Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winnie-madikizela-mandela/) > [To the same degree that your understanding of and attitude towards Afrika becomes more positive, your understanding of and attitude towards yourself will also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/to-the-same-degree-that-your-understanding-of-and-attitude-towards/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [If you blink, you will miss me, but I am in 'Malcolm X.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-donovan/if-you-blink-you-will-miss-me-but-i-am-in-malcolm-x/) [Martin Donovan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-donovan/) > [Doing 'Malcolm and Eddie' was probably the foremost miserable years of my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-jamal-warner/doing-malcolm-and-eddie-was-probably-the-foremost-miserable-years-of/) [Malcolm-Jamal Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-jamal-warner/) > [David Icke reminded me of Malcolm X.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/david-icke-reminded-me-of-malcolm-x/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) > [People kind of have a misconception, because when someone calls me Theo and I correct them, say, 'No, my name is Malcolm,' they think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-jamal-warner/people-kind-of-have-a-misconception-because-when-someone-calls-me/) [Malcolm-Jamal Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-jamal-warner/) > [When white supremacy becomes institutional, it begins to harm the very people who are not simply outside of it because of their race, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/when-white-supremacy-becomes-institutional-it-begins-to-harm-the-very/) [Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/) > [I like Malcolm Gladwell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-j-mccollum/i-like-malcolm-gladwell/) [C. J. McCollum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-j-mccollum/) ## 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/) > [In 1995, the Paul Keating Labor government commissioned an inquiry into the forcible removal of Aboriginal children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/in-1995-the-paul-keating-labor-government-commissioned-an-inquiry/) [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/) [Explore all 176 Richard Flanagan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/) ## More 1970s quotes > [As someone who came to New York in the 1970s, I was, like so many of my friends, a certified member of what we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graydon-carter/as-someone-who-came-to-new-york-in-the-1970s-i-was-like-so-many-of-my/) [Graydon Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graydon-carter/) > [The 1970s, the decade of my teenage years, was a transitional period in American youth culture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-allin-cornell/the-1970s-the-decade-of-my-teenage-years-was-a-transitional-period-in/) [Eric Allin Cornell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-allin-cornell/) > [Back in the 1970s, it was mostly all-black audiences coming into the theaters. So, we presented stories they could relate to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudy-ray-moore/back-in-the-1970s-it-was-mostly-all-black-audiences-coming-into-the/) [Rudy Ray Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudy-ray-moore/) > [I'm a product of the 1970s.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-rushin/i-m-a-product-of-the-1970s/) [Steve Rushin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-rushin/) > [Once, bit-fetching was the job mainly of children. In the 1970s, if I sat too long looking bored, I'd be dispatched to the shop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-dent/once-bit-fetching-was-the-job-mainly-of-children-in-the-1970s-if-i/) [Grace Dent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-dent/) > [When I joined Ford, in the late 1970s, I felt strongly we could not forever be a huge user of natural resources without there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-i-joined-ford-in-the-late-1970s-i-felt-strongly-we-could-not/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Wings was one of the first bands in the 1970s to do stadium tours, as well as Led Zeppelin. We had all the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denny-laine/wings-was-one-of-the-first-bands-in-the-1970s-to-do-stadium-tours-as/) [Denny Laine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denny-laine/) > [The whole idea of making 'James' was to make an action film in the style of the 1970s and '80s.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-gopal-varma/the-whole-idea-of-making-james-was-to-make-an-action-film-in-the/) [Ram Gopal Varma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-gopal-varma/) > [All I know about 1970s New York City is that it's where I grew up, and you always have an umbilical connection to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-sante/all-i-know-about-1970s-new-york-city-is-that-it-s-where-i-grew-up-and/) [Luc Sante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-sante/) > [I have lived my whole life just outside Youngstown, Ohio. We watched the steel mills close and 50,000 jobs disappear in the late 1970s.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-ryan/i-have-lived-my-whole-life-just-outside-youngstown-ohio-we-watched/) [Tim Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-ryan/) > [When I was growing up in the projects in Philadelphia in the 1970s and 80s, Cadillac was the car to have. But I always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-staley/when-i-was-growing-up-in-the-projects-in-philadelphia-in-the-1970s/) [Dawn Staley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-staley/) > [I don't really have a treasured possession, but I do love my family's proper old photo album. We all have hundreds of photos on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicola-walker/i-don-t-really-have-a-treasured-possession-but-i-do-love-my-family-s/) [Nicola Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicola-walker/) > [My family had been involved in gangs since the 1970s.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-cabral/my-family-had-been-involved-in-gangs-since-the-1970s/) [Richard Cabral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-cabral/) > [When I was in high school in the early 1970s, we knew we were running out of oil; we knew that easy sources were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-safina/when-i-was-in-high-school-in-the-early-1970s-we-knew-we-were-running/) [Carl Safina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-safina/) > [When I was younger, I remember families like mine who had to deal with the disastrous policies of the 1970s.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-scheer/when-i-was-younger-i-remember-families-like-mine-who-had-to-deal-with/) [Andrew Scheer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-scheer/) [Browse all 189 1970s quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/zz-1970s-440/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Under Malcolm Fraser's Liberal governments in the 1970s, large numbers of refugees fleeing Vietnam in wretched boats were taken in without any great fuss.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Richard Flanagan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/under-malcolm-fraser-s-liberal-governments-in-the-1970s-large-numbers/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "1970s" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/under-malcolm-fraser-s-liberal-governments-in-the-1970s-large-numbers/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5eb/richard-flanagan-2253_1970s_under-malcolm-fraser-s-liberal-governmen_3087974.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5eb/richard-flanagan-2253_1970s_under-malcolm-fraser-s-liberal-governmen_3087974.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5eb/richard-flanagan-2253_1970s_under-malcolm-fraser-s-liberal-governmen_3087974.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Under Malcolm Fraser's Liberal governments in the 1970s, large numbers of refugees fleeing Vietnam in…” — 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": "Under Malcolm Fraser's Liberal governments in...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/under-malcolm-fraser-s-liberal-governments-in-the-1970s-large-numbers/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/under-malcolm-fraser-s-liberal-governments-in-the-1970s-large-numbers/#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 } } ] } ```