Australia Says Sorry
Wednesday, February 13th, 2008One single word ‘Sorry’ means so much to many, many people. It can’t take away the pain or the sorrow or the hurt that has been experienced, but it is a start. The pain stays buried deep in the heart but today the Australian Federal Government paved the way for a reconciliation that no other government could or would provide in the past.
Saying sorry on the 13th February 2008 is an historical moment in time for those that were taken from their mothers and for the mothers who lived with a loss that many do not understand.
Throughout Australia today, Australians came together to listen to an apology made to the Stolen Generation and their families and for those that understood why today was important realised that saying sorry is not about compensation, it’s not about money, it’s not about claiming land rights… it is saying sorry to heal the wrongs of past governments and councils that allowed aboriginal babes to be taken from their mothers.
The full apology…
“I give notice that, at the next sitting, I will move:
That 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.”
A historic day for the nation – Australia Says Sorry
