Australian prime minister asks Parliament to approve apology

[Neil D]

For our Ozzie friends who may be feeling a bit left out of the limelight for all those controversys...

Australian prime minister asks Parliament to approve apology to Aborigines

By Tim Johnston

Published: February 12, 2008

SYDNEY: Prime Minister Kevin Rudd of Australia on Tuesday asked Parliament to approve a historic apology to the country's indigenous minorities for their past mistreatment at the hands of the authorities.

The apology itself will be made by Rudd on Wednesday, but he presented the text he intends to use to Parliament, which is dominated by his party and is expected to approve it.

"We apologize for the laws and policies of successive Parliaments and governments that have inflicted profound grief, suffering and loss on these our fellow Australians," the text says.

The apology is aimed particularly at the "stolen generations," the thousands of Aboriginal and mixed-race children who were taken from their parents, in some states as part of a policy to "breed out the color," in the words of Cecil Cook, who went by the title of chief protector of Aborigines in the Northern Territory in the 1930s.

The text of the apology fulfills one of the key requirements of the people who have been calling for such a move for years: it contains the word "sorry."

"We apologize especially for the removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families, their communities and their country. For the pain, suffering and hurt of these Stolen Generations, their descendants and for their families left behind, we say sorry. To the mothers and the fathers, the brothers and the sisters, for the breaking up of families and communities, we say sorry. And for the indignity and degradation thus inflicted on a proud people and a proud culture, we say sorry," it says.

Kirstie Parker, the managing editor of the Aboriginal newspaper the Koori Mail, said she felt that the apology had hit the right note.

"I think it is a very broad but in some places quite specific statement, and I found it very moving," she said.

But she says that for many indigenous Australians the exercise will fall short because the government has ruled out offering compensation to those affected by the policy.

"There are many people who are saying that they must back this up with compensation," Parker said.

The previous government of John Howard had refused to apologize, partially because they did not feel responsible for the misdeeds of past administrations but also partly because they were frightened that it would trigger massive compensation claims.

Last year, a court in South Australia awarded 525,000 Australian dollars, or about $475,000, to Bruce Trevorrow, who was taken from his mother when he was a baby, for unlawful treatment and false imprisonment.

"I get a distinct feeling among Aboriginal people that they feel that compensation is an absolute possibility, notwithstanding the prime minister's very vehement statement about not considering it," Parker said.

The apology does end with a commitment to eradicating the gap between mainstream Australia and the 2.5 percent of the population who are Aborigines or Torres Strait Islanders.

The apology imagines "a future where we harness the determination of all Australians, Indigenous and non-Indigenous, to close the gap that lies between us in life expectancy, educational achievement and economic opportunity."

But Parker says that is not enough.

"The government has been saying 'we won't pay compensation, but we will commit ourselves to closing the gap.' I think that is flawed because what they are committing themselves to is delivering to black fellas what they give to every other Australian," she said.

Wednesday is the first full sitting of the new Parliament and making the apology the first item of business is deeply symbolic.

A 1997 report by the government's Human Rights and Equal Opportunities Commission estimated that between 1 in 3 and 1 in 10 indigenous and mixed-race children were taken from their parents in the decades leading up to 1969, when the policy was formally abandoned.

The effects of two centuries of discrimination, coupled with the friction between an ancient and unique culture and the modern world, have left many indigenous Australians eking out a living on the margins of society.

Aboriginal life expectancy is 17 years shorter than for the average Australian; indigenous unemployment is running at three times the rate of the country as a whole; and the incidence of crime and alcoholism is significantly higher in indigenous communities.

[Bravus]

Absolutely fantastic. Between this and ratifying Kyoto I'm starting to feel like we can hold our heads up again.

[lazarus]

Wonderful news

[Taylor]

That is fantastic news! I once watched a movie about some children that were taken by force from their families because of this very problem in Australia. I felt so sad for them and am grateful that the Australian government is appologizing for their past actions.

[Nan]

It is good it has finally happened. I think most Australians would prefer some well directed help for Aboriginal needs - health, education - than the offering of compensation that may not have long term benefits.

[Bravus]

http://www.bravus.com/blog/?p=900

[aldona]

This is really great....

I feel like getting one of those wall plaques that says "We acknowledge the _____________ people as traditional owners of this land."

Except I'm still trying to work out which nation our area belongs to. (outer south-east Melbourne - I think we are on the border between the Wurundjeri and Bunurong tribes.)

Or even better - get another plaque and put it up at the entrance to our new church building.

That would really stir up the rednecks.

If it was a Quaker meetinghouse, it would probably already have a sign - national apology or not.

aldona