The Real Issues...
> A Stalled Process
> Why our PM can't say Sorry
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> The Stolen Generations
> Land rights
> Sorry Hurdle John Howard Cannot Clear
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Examines John Howard’s refusal to issue an apology to indigenous Australians. |
> The People Vote With Their Hearts
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Article from The Australian written post-Peoples Walk, examining the future of reconciliation and the meaning of an apology.
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> Sorry, the Legal Liability is Overstated
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Opinion that an apology would not necessarily lead to compensation claims from the Stolen Generation.
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> John Howard’s Apology
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Apology made by Australian actor John Howard on ABC Television’s "The Games." |
> John Pilger - Secret Shame
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An excellent site by Carlton Online with footage and information from renowned filmmaker and journalist John Pilger. |
> Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation
> Apology Australia
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Australians can add themselves to the list, apologising for the separation of Aboriginal children from their families as a direct result of government policy. |
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| Why The Prime Minister can't say 'Sorry'
The pressure on Prime Minister John Howard to make an official apology on behalf of the Commonwealth Government came to bear following the inquiry into the "stolen generations" a term used to describe the legacy of years of sanctioned separation of indigenous families.
The Federal Government's response to the report demanded another apology in itself, with the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs Senator John Herron denying the existence of a generation of stolen children.
Meanwhile the Prime Minister stood his ground over his refusal to say "sorry" for the act of removal of the children from their parents, because it would leave the Federal Government open to compensation claims, he said.
Why say sorry? As HREOC states, "An apology acknowledges that wrong has been done, and attempts to make amends to those who have suffered."
Hundreds of thousands of Australians have said sorry. It was written in the sky the day 200,000 people walked across Sydney Harbour Bridge to say sorry and show their support for reconciliation.
As Bob Ellis noted (Howard's End, HQ Magazine, July 2000) more people walked the Harbour Bridge "than walked with Martin Luther King to the hill where he said "I have a dream".
The Prime Minister, however, refused to walk. He's been quoted as saying "To be effective, the reconciliation process must involve and inspire all Australians."
The Peoples Walk, on that cold Sunday, was inspired and inspiring. Shame you missed it, Mr Howard.
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"In Canada, the US and New Zealand, there have been such apologies.
In Australia, Aboriginal life expectancy is 19 years lower than for other Australians. In Canada, the US and New Zealand, the difference is five or six years.
This is one measure of their success and of our failure."
Malcolm Fraser, former Liberal Prime Minister of Australia.
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