Sorry, tomorrow, finally !!

Random visit
Pics of this montage were shot the 14th July 07 in Canberra, during a protest for indigenous rights.

Tomorrow will be an historic day!! A symbolic one, long overdue, hopefully just a step in a still long, long way to really reconciliate people and abolish injustices.

See links here or here, etc...

"Prime Minister Kevin Rudd tabled in parliament the text of the national apology, which he will formally deliver on Wednesday.

The 344-word apology, based on extensive consultation with indigenous groups, honours Australia's Aborigines, "the oldest continuing cultures in human history", and uses the word sorry three times."

"Federal parliament will apologise for the "profound grief, suffering and loss" inflicted on the stolen generations and will vow to never let it happen again."

"We reflect in particular on the mistreatment of those who were stolen generations, this blemished chapter in our nation's history."

That report documented the stories of some of the tens of thousands of Aboriginal children taken from their families by governments between 1910 and the early 1970s.

The parliament will 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."

The opposition, which was given the text about two hours before Mr Rudd tabled it, will support the apology, which says a new page in Australia's history can now be written.

"We today take this first step by acknowledging the past and laying claim to a future that embraces all Australians," the apology reads.

"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."

boriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Tom Calma said the apology would directly benefit members of the stolen generations by validating their experiences.

"It is not about black armbands and guilt," he said.

"It is about inclusion and learning from the past.

"And, ultimately, it is about providing space in the telling of our national story for the stolen generations."