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Rudd says much more than just sorry
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They held hands, wept – and cheered and clapped and cried some more. All too often the Commonwealth Parliament is a dry, lonely, alienating place. Some days, though, it is truly the heart of the nation – or maybe the soul, the place from where the mood of the nation stems, eloquent of tongue and generous of spirit. Today was one of these. On the floor of the House of Representatives were representatives of the stolen generations, former prime ministers Gough Whitlam, Malcolm Fraser, Bob Hawke and Paul Keating, and former governor-general Sir William Deane. The galleries were crammed. Thousands more watched broadcasts from the Great Hall of Parliament House and on the lawns outside. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd entered the chamber with his Aboriginal Affairs Minister, Jenny Macklin, to a standing ovation from the galleries. He told a packed house chamber that there comes 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.” The Prime Minister then said sorry – but also said much more. “It is not sentiment that makes history,” Rudd said, grasping the nettle of “practical reconciliation”. Australians are a passionate lot, he said, but also practical, so he proposed that the opposition join the government in forming “a war cabinet”, joint policy commission, to tackle Indigenous issues. “The nation is calling on us the politicians to move beyond our infantile bickering, our point scoring, our mindlessly partisan politics and elevate this one, at least this one, area of national responsibility to a rare position beyond the partisan divide,” he said. The Prime Minister acknowledged that there are no one size fits all responses to the needs of Indigenous Australians. He recognised the need for tailored, local solutions and clear targets. He announced the commission would first develop and implement an effective housing strategy for remote communities during the next five years. Then, invoking the spirit of 1967, he foreshadowed another referendum. If the first steps were successful, the commission would then work on the constitutional recognition of first Australians. Parliament said sorry today, the Prime Minister explained, because it was parliament that made the laws that saw Aboriginal children taken from their parents. But by foreshadowing a referendum, Rudd made reconciliation a truly national task – something for all of us, something, he said, we “might just be able to do”. The galleries rose in a standing ovation. Rudd’s Labor colleagues rose in applause. Chris Pyne began to clap. Judi Moylan stood. The opposition joined in the ovation, too. There were hugs and tears. An emotional Brendan Nelson responded. His speech was strongest when he invoked the words of Liberal Senator Neville Bonner, the first Aboriginal Australian to sit in the federal parliament: “In my experience of this world, two qualities are always in greater need – human understanding and compassion.” There was more applause. More tears. A handshake between the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition over the dispatch boxes. They rose and walked together around the chamber to greet the representatives of the stolen generations. Gough Whitlam lifted clasped hands from his wheelchair as they passed by. There were hugs and handshakes and more tears. There was a gift from the stolen generation to the parliament. And there were Aboriginal Australians in the gallery with t-shirts saying “Thanks”. Watch the speech by clicking on the image below:
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32 Comments
I aided a removed man to find “family”. He changed his mind about being removed.. Sad living standards “back home”. He was horrified. Aunt kept her children, mum lost hers. Not a STOLEN GENERATION at all. Aunty was married. His Mum played around .
my school, filled with indigenous students, wasnt allowed to watch the speech this morning because our principle wouldnt let us….
Hooray for Kevin Rudd! Mature, compassionate leadership at last.
It saddens me that so many people take offense at Rudd’s speech. Do these people seriously think there lives have been tough in comparison. Reality check required. The comparison is stark.
Isabelle- Send Kevin Rudd a quick letter - details at http://www.pm.gov.au/contact/index.cfm, I have send numerous letters to PM’s over time and they will respond- eventually. If you don’t like their response ask & wait for clarification, then go public.
We now have the obvious date on which to celebrate Australia Day in future - 13 February. A day to celebrat reconciliation not invasion.
Lets stop the nation in 3 years time to see how we have progressed on making a real difference with respect to mortality rates, sexual abuse and general standard of living. The NSW Parliament said sorry years ago and not much has changed in Wilcannia…
Got the colours out last night. Watched the show, looked real big. Heard the slow clap on radio - Ouch. Am thinking about the Indigenous colleagues over the years. A fair go for kids like J and all the other Aboriginal kids. That’s what I care about.
If the indiginous australians were in charge, instead of the whites, would they treat the whites as we have treated them?
Thanks for a report that captures not just the essence of the apology but also the manner in which Rudd expressed the sentiments of so many Australians about the need to move on Indigenous issues.
God it’s good to have a Prime Minister actually sounding like a leader, rather than a defence lawyer. Surely the anti-sorry crowd can see from the reaction how important this is to most Australians. Still a long way to go but a great start.
Not only has the change of government provided a more optimistic and civilised future for Australia, Kevin Rudd has cemented the most compelling reason to believe in Australia and the gormless Nelson continues the invidious beliefs of the previous regime.
When I first arrived in Australia I got the usual “what do you think” question. I usually said, I can’t stand the flies and the politicians. Looks I’ll have to revise - the flies stay but I think we have a real statesman at the helm.
Rudd’s largesse makes Howard look small and mean. Nelson missed a great opportunity. Tuckey is an anachronism.
Maybe now white fellas will come to realise that this land is stolen goods, along with the stolen generation. White mans law says that you have no legal right to stolen goods/propery.
Perhaps this will eventually create reconciliation.
I have never suggested compensation supplants reconciliation, that’s madness. I am however supportive of a holistic approach with reconciliation and compensation and effective improvements for all Aboriginal peoples, & if law was/is breached prosecutions
The comments of Brendon Nelson and his attempts at “justifying” past actions in particular the bringing up of how hard it was for early settlers, young dying wars etc, fankly made me feel sick.
Phil- When something is stolen the value of what is stolen is deprived from the owner. If your car gets stolen and never returned you get compensation as a victim of crime or by insurance because a wrong has been done, compensation is always the forward.
It will be a leap backwards if there is a class action.
Slowly, I am rediscovering what it’s like to be proud of this country. The faces of the thousands of people watching the apology said it all. Today is a great day.
If migrants, coloured or otherwise, not speaking English & experiencing discrimination can lead wholesome productive lives, why can’t Aboriginals? What did the stolen ones do with their adult lives? Many people with hard life stories not waiting for compo
I thought from your previous articles that today was all about Wedge politics?
What a great day. Kevin Rudd has done us proud. Brendan Nelson on the other hand continues the dishonesty, shame and injustice. John Howard’s absence invalidated his time as Prime Minister, let’s hope Her Maj’ , Liz II, refuses to honour him.
Tony - Pot, Kettle, Black? If realigning an insidious situation for the betterment of all a bad thing, how can you justify the establishment of the white australia policy in the first place, it wasn’t a leftist government who saw the need to segregate
Christopher, did you blind yourself with that axe you’re grinding? If the issue is turned to shallow compensation, then the genuine conciliatory aim of the apology will be rendered ineffecitve. Apparently for some, compensation trumps reconciliation.
It was a great speech by a man who will prove to be a great PM for all of us. I know some of the stolen women and love them dearly and today was for them.
Lowitja, Charlotte and Shirley - I salute you.
John @ 2:19:24 PM - Sorry have I missed something, I can see two points of view in the report, and I see a Blog here to express any view - where is yours? what notion of democracy are you operating under?
Now can we move on?
Great article. Pity you dont support the democratic right of people to have and to express a different point of view.
A truly wonderful day to be Australian. Kevin Rudd’s speech was heartfelt and so appropriate. The spontaneous applause in Parliament and around the country filled me with joy. At last we have a proud, mature nation. Thank you sincerely Mr Rudd.
Jen, Jen, Jen…you are slightly misguided. Is it wise for you to use 1 situation to generalise the Stolen Generation? Secondly, were you actually there to know what happened with every case? Thirdly, to have your child taken away from you is ‘Stolen’.
Stolen ! NOT. I want an apology for being accused as a thief. I am only sorry that the governments did not continue their removal of uncared for , Illegitimate and cross bred children, and to any race within the nation. Not cruel comment, just practical
All too often, our Parliaments resemble parallel universes with MPs disconnected from planet Earth. Today was one such day. Reaction to Nelson merely confirms this has nothing to do with humanity and all to do with sustaining left’s ugly race politics.