The Australian government will take the historic step of offering a formal apology to Aborigines "as early as possible" in the new parliament, Indigenous Affairs Minister Jenny Macklin said yesterday.
Center-left Labor Prime Minister Kevin Rudd came to power in November, promising to foster reconciliation and reverse the previous conservative government's refusal to apologize for past injustices.
Speaking to reporters in Melbourne, Macklin refused to confirm a report that the apology would be given at the opening of federal parliament on Feb. 12.
But she said an apology to Aborigines, including the so-called "stolen generation" taken from their families as children, was imminent.
"We do want to make the apology as early as possible in the new parliament, but we want to complete the consultations first," Macklin said.
Thousands of Aboriginal children, mostly of mixed descent, were taken from their parents over four decades up to the 1970s and adopted or put into foster care or institutions as part of an attempt to force assimilation.
Macklin refused to elaborate on what the apology would include, but said she was consulting widely and it was designed to be a "bridge to the future."
"What is important here is to do everything we can to really see this as a positive way forward for the nation," she said. "We want it to be above politics, we want to make it as positive as possible."
Macklin also dismissed criticism that a formal apology could lead to claims for financial compensation, saying all state governments had already issued apologies and had not suffered any legal ramifications as a result.
The government is opposed to establishing a national compensation fund although the state government of Tasmania last week approved millions of dollars in compensation for members of the "stolen generation."
The conservative opposition, which under former prime minister John Howard's leadership steadfastly refused to offer an apology, said the government should focus on addressing Aboriginal disadvantage as its first priority.
Indigenous Australians are the country's most disadvantaged group with significantly lower life expectancy than other citizens and many living in impoverished camps where unemployment, alcoholism and violence are rife.
"Whatever the attitude of Australians towards this generation apologizing for things done by earlier generations, you really have got to ask yourself is this the highest priority for the Australian parliament?" opposition leader Brendan Nelson said.
Helen Moran, who co-chairs the National Sorry Day Committee, said an apology was not about laying the blame for injustice at the feet of the Australian public.
"There is no need for blame or shame in regards to this," she told Sky News.
Co-chair of the Stolen Generations Alliance Christine King said members felt very emotional about the possibility of a national apology.
"The apology is about healing for us, but I speak to many non-indigenous Australians who say it's also important for them because what happened to stolen generations is part of the Australian story," she said in a statement.
Australia's original inhabitants were marginalized after the first British settlers arrived in 1788 and now number just 470,000 out of a total population of approximately 21 million.
Republican US lawmakers on Friday criticized US President Joe Biden’s administration after sanctioned Chinese telecoms equipment giant Huawei unveiled a laptop this week powered by an Intel artificial intelligence (AI) chip. The US placed Huawei on a trade restriction list in 2019 for contravening Iran sanctions, part of a broader effort to hobble Beijing’s technological advances. Placement on the list means the company’s suppliers have to seek a special, difficult-to-obtain license before shipping to it. One such license, issued by then-US president Donald Trump’s administration, has allowed Intel to ship central processors to Huawei for use in laptops since 2020. China hardliners
Conjoined twins Lori and George Schappell, who pursued separate careers, interests and relationships during lives that defied medical expectations, died this month in Pennsylvania, funeral home officials said. They were 62. The twins, listed by Guinness World Records as the oldest living conjoined twins, died on April 7 at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, obituaries posted by Leibensperger Funeral Homes of Hamburg said. The cause of death was not detailed. “When we were born, the doctors didn’t think we’d make 30, but we proved them wrong,” Lori said in an interview when they turned 50, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. The
RAMPAGE: A Palestinian man was left dead after dozens of Israeli settlers searching for a missing 14-year-old boy stormed a village in the Israeli-occupied West Bank US President Joe Biden on Friday said he expected Iran to attack Israel “sooner, rather than later” and warned Tehran not to proceed. Asked by reporters about his message to Iran, Biden simply said: “Don’t,” underscoring Washington’s commitment to defend Israel. “We are devoted to the defense of Israel. We will support Israel. We will help defend Israel and Iran will not succeed,” he said. Biden said he would not divulge secure information, but said his expectation was that an attack could come “sooner, rather than later.” Israel braced on Friday for an attack by Iran or its proxies as warnings grew of
A prominent Christian leader has allegedly been stabbed at the altar during a Mass yesterday in southwest Sydney. Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel was saying Mass at Christ The Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley just after 7pm when a man approached him at the altar and allegedly stabbed toward his head multiple times. A live stream of the Mass shows the congregation swarm forward toward Emmanuel before it was cut off. The church leader gained prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic, amassing a large online following, Officers attached to Fairfield City police area command attended a location on Welcome Street, Wakeley following reports a number