Saying Sorry

[one-eyed]

The Federal Government's formal apology to the stolen generations has been released publicly:

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.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,23204094-662,00.html

[mightytiges]

A historic day.

Noticed Rudd mentioned every recent PM before him except little Johnny in his speech  .

[Fishfinger]

A historic day.

Noticed Rudd mentioned every recent PM before him except little Johnny in his speech  .

Fair enough too. So he shouldn't have.
For 10 years as PM John Howard would not apologise even though it was the first step of reparation in the recommendations of the 1997 "Bringing Them Home" report to do so.

[Moi]

Little Johnny didn't even have the decency to turn up when the others did, so why would he mention him?

[Ox]

lmao.
so what changes now?

[bluey_21]

lmao.
so what changes now?

that's rather cynical ox

On another note that Brendan Nelson is a sly dog isn't he, slipping in that members of the Stolen Generation didn't deserve monetary compensation because no money could make up for their sufferings. No wonder people were booing him during his speech

[mightytiges]

Little Johnny didn't even have the decency to turn up when the others did, so why would he mention him?

Not saying Rudd should have Moi. Just that it was a clear dig at the former PM who believed it was all a myth and to show he is now irrelevant.

[one-eyed]

The full speech is here:
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,23209929-5000117,00.html

To answer Ox's question:

Opposition Leader Brendan Nelson agreed to jointly chair with Mr Rudd a bipartisan commission, or "war cabinet", on indigenous policy. 'We're happy to help," Dr Nelson said.

The commission's first job will be to develop a new housing strategy for remote indigenous communities.

Mr Rudd promised to establish a new national partnership to:

* HALVE the gap between Aboriginal and non-indigenous infant mortality rates within a decade.

* HALVE the gap between black and white literacy, numeracy and employment rates and opportunities over 10 years.

* CLOSE the 17-year life-expectancy gap between Aborigines and other Australians within a generation.

* Before the election, Labor promised to fund an extra 200 teachers in the Northern Territory to help educate 2000 children who were not enrolled in school.

* About 4500 indigenous children are expected to benefit from the promise to ensure all Australian four-year-olds have access to 15 hours a week of kindergarten.

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,23210033-662,00.html

[Moi]

Little Johnny didn't even have the decency to turn up when the others did, so why would he mention him?

Not saying Rudd should have Moi. Just that it was a clear dig at the former PM who believed it was all a myth and to show he is now irrelevant.

He is irrevelent. Life will go on without him 

[mightytiges]

He is irrevelent. Life will go on without him 

Who? 

Seems Downer is bailing too. Pollies don't hang around long when their time at the top has past.

[WilliamPowell]

Seems Downer is bailing too.

talk about irrelevance

[tiga]

I agree with Ox! What changes? I'm sure some of you may hate me for saying this but personally I think it was the biggest waste of time. The only thing I can see this doing is opening the doors for compensation. Some guy has already registered a claim in the courts today and one of his solicitors is from the Bernie Banton v James Hardie prosecution team .$$$$$to Solicitors.  Friggin seagulls!

If we added up all the injustices that have occurred in the world over the past 500 years, everyone would be saying sorry to everyone else. Romans, Germans & Japanese in WWII, Spanish inquisition, Serbs Croats, Arabs & Jews, Greeks and the Turks and the Macedonians, The French in Canada, The British in America. The African slave trade, the genocide of the Tasmanian Aboriginals (Did we say sorry for that? Stolen generation vs no generation hmmmm). Need I go on??

Lets face it, Human beings are the most anti-social life form on this plant. Our whole existence is based on violence and injustices towards one another based purely on factors that define us to be different.

Do I believe what the government did at the time was wrong?? The answer is YES. Do I believe we should apologise?? My answer to that would be NO!
My English ancestor to this country was sent here by the British government for literally taking a small amount of food just so he could survive. He was taken from the people he loved, transported here, put in a penal colony, forced to build roads, beaten, flogged and all the good things a convict had to put up with in the day and to his credit made it out the other end by sheer luck and determination. Should I be demanding on behalf of my ancestors an apology from the British government?

Remember this, The word sorry means nothing. It's the actions that follow it that carry all the weight.
 
Whilst I'm juggling a political hot potato,  it was ever so gracious of Kevin Rudd to put a wage increase freeze on his fellow parliamentarians! LMAOOOO. Gee that would save us bugger all in the grand scheme of things. How's that going to help me battle another interest rate rise and plenty more to come.
Its obvious that the reserve bank has no faith in the current governments fiscal policy or is that fecal policy especially when Wayne Swan rips out beauties like "This problem has been happening for a long time and it is going to take time to fix!!" Onya Wayne!  In other words they have NFI on how to fix it so lets deflect with a token wage freeze on parliamentarians!  10% here we come!!  Time to invest in bank shares.  I said in another thread here before the election that this Labor government will send us into a whole world of pain and we are well on the way.

This government needs to grow a backbone and start making tough and unpopular decisions rather than spinning around in Parliament house meeting rooms and chanting "I'm a little teapot, I'm a little teapot!". Howard was the most popular unpopular Prime Minister we ever had but all I can say is that my life was a hell of a lot better off under him than "Chuck Wood!"

[cub]

I was gunna stay out of this, but well said Tiga.

[Ox]

what Australia needs to learn is to say IDGAF!

Most of us think it...

A young man like Richard Tambling is an example of breaking the cycle.
He's doing it on his own,without government payout and isn't crying for
compensation for his peoples history.

and he's a top bloke.

We need more Richard Tamblings from the other side before anything changes and they
have been a minority.

As soon as he becomes famous the mob will flock to him.

[the_boy_jake]

snip

There is a difference between admitting sorrow and admitting responsibility.

If I say to someone I'm sorry your mother died it doesn't mean I knocked her off.

Admitting sorrow to a people who have been turned over by previous governments and have long memories is the first step in establishing trust.

As for the question of litigation - I really don't care. AFAIAC there are more important things than money - right and wrong, justice. This world will still be spinning in a few hundred years time and our ancestors will be very thankful for what was done.

Maybe that means you eating budget steak for a few weeks, but thats the price you pay in democracy.

Regarding the economy - I think a lot of experts accept that John Howard and Costello rode in on labor reforms in the 80's and early 90's and the Chinese boom anyway so there is no excuse for partisan political dribble, especially as it will take longer than a couple of months for a new government to bring its policies into action whilst still in the fading light of the desperate previous governments economy. I'm at least giving them a chance

http://cpd.org.au/node/4327

http://www.themonthly.com.au/tm/node/676

On this score, Howard and Costello have spent many productive hours assiduously establishing in the minds of voters a false association between Labor, budget deficits and high interest rates.