Rudd to make 'healing' apology (to Australia's Aborigines)

[anakie]

Source: ABC Australia

Eleven years after the Human Rights Commission said the Federal Parliament should apologise to Indigenous Australians, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd will this morning say sorry.

The Federal Parliament and its surrounds will be bulging with people this morning as people crowd in to witness the historic moment.

The text of the apology was tabled in the House yesterday, and it revealed Mr Rudd will say sorry three times during his apology.

Mr Rudd says the apology will be a crucial part of the healing of the nation.

Read more: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/02/13/2161097.htm?section=australia

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Today is a big day for Australia and Australians - both indigenous and non. It has been a long time coming and had to take a change of government for it to happen. I am immensely proud of my government today.


Peace

[anakie]

1. the text

"Today we honour the Indigenous peoples of this land, the oldest continuing cultures in human history.

We reflect on their past mistreatment.

We reflect in particular on the mistreatment of those who were Stolen Generations – this blemished chapter in our nation’s history.

The time has now come for the nation to turn a new page in Australia’s history by righting the wrongs of the past and so moving forward with confidence to the future.

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

We apologise 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.

We the Parliament of Australia respectfully request that this apology be received in the spirit in which it is offered as part of the healing of the nation.

For the future we take heart; resolving that this new page in the history of our great continent can now be written.

We today take this first step by acknowledging the past and laying claim to a future that embraces all Australians.

A future where this Parliament resolves that the injustices of the past must never, never happen again.

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.

A future where we embrace the possibility of new solutions to enduring problems where old approaches have failed.

A future based on mutual respect, mutual resolve and mutual responsibility.

A future where all Australians, whatever their origins, are truly equal partners, with equal opportunities and with an equal stake in shaping the next chapter in the history of this great country, Australia."


http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23202612-5013172,00.html

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

2. Kudos to Australia and the government there

I doubt if any American President will ever apologize for the way our Native people have been treated.

[ck4829]

3. K&R

[niyad]

4. so when is this govt going to apologize to our first people?

[GliderGuider]

5. I have to make a confession

(FYI, I'm GG's partner)

I ran into an Algonquin woman I know from the Kitigan Zibi reserve in Québec at the juice bar the other day. I don't know her awfully well, but a few years ago I shot her wedding. (Instead of giving guests horrid little pastel-coloured candied almonds or some such, the seats at the reception were each marked with a tiny dreamcatcher. I still use mine as a decoration on the Christmas tree every year.)

Anyhoo, she went to the ladies' room and I picked up a newspaper lying on the next table. The headline that drew my attention was about a local man (whose wife I also know in passing) who was held in jail for YEARS on a Security Certificate. The SC legislation allows our federal gov't to hold someone in prison indefinitely without charging them as long as they're not citizens and it's a matter of ... ooga booga! ... National Security(TM). He's currently out on bail but the conditions are the most strict ones ever in the history of Canada. So I've been following this story for several years now. My friend returned and, before we resumed our conversation, I pointed out the story, told her I'm following it closely, and commented that our gov't is becoming more and more fascist.

She looked at me, paused only a moment, and said quietly, "They've always been like this."

I fumbled. "Yeah, but. Yeah, but. They're not even trying to hide it anymore."

What a goof I was! As far as our First Nations are concerned, it was never hidden.
:banghead:


Congratulations, anakie. you have every right to be proud.

[Judi Lynn]

6. I hope it will help, somehow. Thanks, anakie.

The language was serious, and that's a start.

[GCP]

7. Good for Rudd

It's about time we whites apologized for all the atrocities done against indigenous peoples. I'm British by birth and I acknowledge our horrible history.

[Matilda]

8. I share your pride, Anakie.

This is something a majority of Australians have wanted to see for eleven years, but the vision to
carry it out was spectacularly lacking in John Howard.

Some Coalition MPs made a point of leaving the Chamber when Kevin Rudd rose to speak - he's made them
look very small indeed, along with their former leader; notably absent from the ranks of former
prime ministers in the Distinguished Visitors' Gallery.

There's still a long way to go before all the injustices are addressed, but without this step,
nothing would be achieved.

It was a beautiful thing to see.

[Andrushka]

10. Ditto that, Matilda

Been waiting for this for a long time. I recall Keating (in The Domain, if I recall) making similar statements way back when, but this is such a great step forward.

As for the racist members of the Liberal party and Howard: they should hang their heads in shame. They should have no part to play in what everyone agrees (but is far from) a more tolerant society that recognizes past wrongs. How Brendan Nelson could say that "in some cases it was good" (to remove kids from "squalor" - his words) is beyond me.

[bemildred]

9. Attaboy Oz. We are all proud of you today. nt

[RFKHumphreyObama]

11. Yes, thanks for posting this Anakie

This was long overdue and it took a long time but we got there. Rudd gave a very powerful and moving apology and I hope it will bring some healing, peace and comfort to the survivors of the Stolen Generation and their families. I was never more proud of my government or my country than I was today -hopefully we are entering into a new era of compassion, understanding and goodwill in our relations with the original inhabitants of our country.

I also thought it was wonderful of Rudd to allow Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders to host the welcoming ceremony in the new Parliament. It was a very powerful symbolic gesture and I'm actually surprised that this was the fist time that a Labor government has actually come up with the idea

[Matilda]

12. It's good to have a feeling of pride in your government and your country again,

after the years of cringing in apology for John Howard.

Kevin Rudd does seem to have a "moral compass" and a desire to do what's right - unlike Howard, who
was only ever concerned with the amount of power he could wield and the length of time he could hold
on to it.

As for those Coalition members who didn't even have the guts to stay in the Chamber - when are they
going to realise that this is why they're no longer in government?

[Violet_Crumble]

16. Tell me about it. It's such a great feeling...

I didn't think the apology would affect me much, but I was really moved by it and think it is the first step towards real reconciliation.

I think it may slowly dawn on Brendan Nelson and those other Coalition members that they're no longer in power when they get a look at the video of people turning their backs on the video screens en-masse in Melbourne and Canberra when Brendan Nelson gave his 'sorry for being forced to say sorry' speech...

[anakie]

13. what an emotional day

from the beginning with the gathering hordes on the lawns of parliament house, Rudd's speech during which I had a lump in my throat gathering to outright tears during some of the panning shots of the people in the gallery. Later in the day while listening to the radio some of the stories of people who were stolen I had to cry. These are stories similar to those I know and have heard before but today they were somehow different.

Today has affected me far more than I thought. What a great day for Australia.

Peace

[Matilda]

14. Seeing the tears of some of the Aboriginal women in the Gallery

also brought a tear to my eyes as well.

As Paul Keating once said: "Only Labor has heroes" - I think it's true,
and probably comes from Labor's social conscience, which is still there
despite the pragmatism of modern Labor.

And I think that today Kevin Rudd became one of Labor's heroes.

[Jim Lane]

15. Congratulations! And, just in case we lose this November, what are your immigration rules? (n/t)