Kid Presentable
02-12-2008, 09:28 PM
What are your thoughts? Anybody who's outside of Australia may not have heard about it. If it does make international news I'd be interested in the way it's perceived.
from smh.com.au
KEVIN Rudd has offered a broad apology to all Aborigines and the Stolen Generations for their "profound grief, suffering and loss" in a carefully worded statement that was greeted by a standing ovation today .
Thousands of Aboriginal Australians gathered in Canberra to watch the historic apology, which was televised around the nation and shown at special outdoor settings in remote indigenous communities.
Many of those watching had personal experience of the forcible removal of Aboriginal people, and there were emotional scenes as the apology was delivered.
The Prime Minister used the word "sorry" three times in the 360 word statement read to parliament this morning.
He said there came a time in history when people had to reconcile the past with their future.
"Our nation Australia has reached such a time and that is why the parliament is today here assembled,'' he said. "To deal with this unfinished business of the nation.
"To remove a great stain from the nation's soul and in the true spirit of reconciliation to open a new chapter in the history of this great land Australia.''
'We apologise'
"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," the apology read.
"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."
Pain is searing
Mr Rudd told the story of an elderly indigenous woman, part of the stolen generations, who he visited a few days ago. Her family tried to hide her from the "welfare men" by digging holes in the ground. But she was found and removed from her crying mother at the age of four.
"There is something terribly primal about these first-hand accounts, the pain is searing, it screams from the pages, the hurt the humiliation, the degradation and the sheer brutality of the act of physically separating a mother from her children is a deep assault on our senses and on our most elemental humanity,'' he said.
Mr Rudd said the stories "cry out'' to be heard and "cry out'' for an apology.
Time for action
The apology also looked forward, heralding a renewed and united effort to close the gap between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians in "life expectancy, educational achievement and economic opportunity".
Mr Rudd pledged action as well as words, calling for the equivalent a war cabinet to tackled indigenous issues.
"I therefore propose a joint policy commission to be led by the Leader of the Opposition and myself," he said.
The Prime Minister said the commission would first develop and implement an effective housing strategy for remote communities during the next five years.
If that was successful the commission would then work on the constitutional recognition of first Australians.
Protesters turn backs on Nelson
In contrast to Rudd's standing ovation, Opposition Leader Brendan Nelson's speech in support of the apology was met by protests.
As Dr Nelson began speaking some people turned their backs on the large screen on which the speech was being televised.
They began clapping and yelling "shame", and some started to walk out.
Dr Nelson called on Australians to focus on the contemporary problems of their indigenous counterparts.
"Spare a thought for the real, immediate, seemingly intractable and disgraceful circumstances in which many indigenous Australians find themselves today," he said.
While the Opposition supported the apology, a number of Liberal MP's chose to boycott the historic session of parliament.
Mixed reaction
The father of reconciliation, Pat Dodson, described the apology as a "seminal moment in the nation's history".
Mr Dodson said the apology was a courageous statement after a decade of denial by the government of John Howard and went "beyond what I thought they might say".
But Stolen Generations member John Moriarty criticised the Government for failing to go far enough.
"It doesn't tell what the Stolen Generation really is," he said.
"I'm questioning the cultural genocide aspect. I think it's an appeasement in the sense that it's saying sorry, but it doesn't get down to the real crux of the issue, in my view, that people like me were taken away from their full-blooded mothers to breed out the culture. It doesn't come to that. It doesn't hit home with me."
Some indigenous leaders feared the apology would mean an end to claims for compensation for Aboriginal children removed from their homes under previous government policies.
Others argued that Mr Rudd had left the door open to payments for past injustices.
I watched the speech, and I must say I had my doubts. But I was immensely pleased with both the delivery, and the spirit in which it appeared to be received. Getting used to the massive gulf between indigenous Australians and the broader Australian populace was the primary culture shock for me, especially coming from New Zealand.
I think it's fairly obvious that throwing welfare at the aboriginal community isn't going to empower them, and does little for their self-respect as a community. That said, I hope that all parties can take an involvement in making things better. A day of reconciled differences, and forward-thinking represents an 'Australia Day' far better in my mind than one of Flag-waving (and let's be honest,the way it's used is only one step away from a gang colour) bogans bottling each other and cooing at fireworks.
There, of course, is the flipside. Many feel that they shouldn't be apologising. Or that the Aborigines are wrong for wanting an apology. Personally I don't think you can ever tell a person how they're supposed to feel about something and have them listen. But there is a danger, I suppose, of this being nothing more than lip-service. A PM like Rudd only really needs one major fuck-up (given the Labour Party's tendency to chop and change) to break his first-term. It'll be interesting to see how this plays out.
from smh.com.au
KEVIN Rudd has offered a broad apology to all Aborigines and the Stolen Generations for their "profound grief, suffering and loss" in a carefully worded statement that was greeted by a standing ovation today .
Thousands of Aboriginal Australians gathered in Canberra to watch the historic apology, which was televised around the nation and shown at special outdoor settings in remote indigenous communities.
Many of those watching had personal experience of the forcible removal of Aboriginal people, and there were emotional scenes as the apology was delivered.
The Prime Minister used the word "sorry" three times in the 360 word statement read to parliament this morning.
He said there came a time in history when people had to reconcile the past with their future.
"Our nation Australia has reached such a time and that is why the parliament is today here assembled,'' he said. "To deal with this unfinished business of the nation.
"To remove a great stain from the nation's soul and in the true spirit of reconciliation to open a new chapter in the history of this great land Australia.''
'We apologise'
"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," the apology read.
"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."
Pain is searing
Mr Rudd told the story of an elderly indigenous woman, part of the stolen generations, who he visited a few days ago. Her family tried to hide her from the "welfare men" by digging holes in the ground. But she was found and removed from her crying mother at the age of four.
"There is something terribly primal about these first-hand accounts, the pain is searing, it screams from the pages, the hurt the humiliation, the degradation and the sheer brutality of the act of physically separating a mother from her children is a deep assault on our senses and on our most elemental humanity,'' he said.
Mr Rudd said the stories "cry out'' to be heard and "cry out'' for an apology.
Time for action
The apology also looked forward, heralding a renewed and united effort to close the gap between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians in "life expectancy, educational achievement and economic opportunity".
Mr Rudd pledged action as well as words, calling for the equivalent a war cabinet to tackled indigenous issues.
"I therefore propose a joint policy commission to be led by the Leader of the Opposition and myself," he said.
The Prime Minister said the commission would first develop and implement an effective housing strategy for remote communities during the next five years.
If that was successful the commission would then work on the constitutional recognition of first Australians.
Protesters turn backs on Nelson
In contrast to Rudd's standing ovation, Opposition Leader Brendan Nelson's speech in support of the apology was met by protests.
As Dr Nelson began speaking some people turned their backs on the large screen on which the speech was being televised.
They began clapping and yelling "shame", and some started to walk out.
Dr Nelson called on Australians to focus on the contemporary problems of their indigenous counterparts.
"Spare a thought for the real, immediate, seemingly intractable and disgraceful circumstances in which many indigenous Australians find themselves today," he said.
While the Opposition supported the apology, a number of Liberal MP's chose to boycott the historic session of parliament.
Mixed reaction
The father of reconciliation, Pat Dodson, described the apology as a "seminal moment in the nation's history".
Mr Dodson said the apology was a courageous statement after a decade of denial by the government of John Howard and went "beyond what I thought they might say".
But Stolen Generations member John Moriarty criticised the Government for failing to go far enough.
"It doesn't tell what the Stolen Generation really is," he said.
"I'm questioning the cultural genocide aspect. I think it's an appeasement in the sense that it's saying sorry, but it doesn't get down to the real crux of the issue, in my view, that people like me were taken away from their full-blooded mothers to breed out the culture. It doesn't come to that. It doesn't hit home with me."
Some indigenous leaders feared the apology would mean an end to claims for compensation for Aboriginal children removed from their homes under previous government policies.
Others argued that Mr Rudd had left the door open to payments for past injustices.
I watched the speech, and I must say I had my doubts. But I was immensely pleased with both the delivery, and the spirit in which it appeared to be received. Getting used to the massive gulf between indigenous Australians and the broader Australian populace was the primary culture shock for me, especially coming from New Zealand.
I think it's fairly obvious that throwing welfare at the aboriginal community isn't going to empower them, and does little for their self-respect as a community. That said, I hope that all parties can take an involvement in making things better. A day of reconciled differences, and forward-thinking represents an 'Australia Day' far better in my mind than one of Flag-waving (and let's be honest,the way it's used is only one step away from a gang colour) bogans bottling each other and cooing at fireworks.
There, of course, is the flipside. Many feel that they shouldn't be apologising. Or that the Aborigines are wrong for wanting an apology. Personally I don't think you can ever tell a person how they're supposed to feel about something and have them listen. But there is a danger, I suppose, of this being nothing more than lip-service. A PM like Rudd only really needs one major fuck-up (given the Labour Party's tendency to chop and change) to break his first-term. It'll be interesting to see how this plays out.