---
node: au_paul_keating
type: person
slug: paul_keating
title: "Paul Keating"
lead: "The Labor politician who was prime minister from 1991 to 1996, known for championing Indigenous reconciliation and a move to a republic."
published: 2026-07-15
updated: 2026-07-15
image_file: paul_keating.jpg
image_source: "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Paul_Keating.jpg"
image_author: "NAA"
image_license: "CC BY 3.0"
---

## Who they were

Keating served long as treasurer in the Hawke government, leading economic reform, before becoming prime minister in 1991.

## What they did

After the 1992 Mabo decision, his government passed the Native Title Act defining Indigenous land rights. In his Redfern Speech that year he frankly acknowledged the wrongs done to Indigenous people by settlement.

## Legacy

He also argued for a move to a republic in place of the British monarch. Keating is remembered as a prime minister who advanced the debate over Indigenous reconciliation and the nation's identity.