PM to say 'Sorry'
January 28th 2008 02:22
According to a story about people traffic that I was watching Russia Today, 'human rights will be the defining issue of the 21st Century’. Well this post is not about Russia or human trafficking, it is about an official apology from Australia's Prime Minister to the Aboriginal people of Australia who had their land and children taken from them. link It's nowhere near official, but it seems that Feb 12 is being toted as the date Mr. Rudd will say sorry.
So Generation Y, what do you think, is this overdue or unnecessary? In the past, Howard's Labour government refused to say 'sorry' and apparently this earned it a great deal of support but the times they are 'a changing and it seems the public (at least the younger members) are embracing this planned move by our new Prime Minister.
Now I can't be bothered doing any proper research but a dear friend of mine that has a Facebook account tells me she is part of a group on there that support the move and that this group has over a minion members. Considering Australia's population is at about 22 million and not all these people have Facebook, I'm going to say this is something to be taken seriously. It appears a 'sorry' is indeed on the cards.
Or is it?
In the few conversations about Aboriginal rights I've had in my lifetime, the general consensus seems to be 'it happened, get over it'. Most of my peers were under the impression that today's Aboriginal population were holding onto grudges simply so they could play the victim in return for benefits and sympathy. These conversations happened a few years ago now so I'm unsure if opinions are still divided or if there has been a swing one direction but I'm sure we'll be hearing more about this in the coming weeks so stay tuned and, at the risk of being sued, keep watching the skies.
Apology accepted?
So Generation Y, what do you think, is this overdue or unnecessary? In the past, Howard's Labour government refused to say 'sorry' and apparently this earned it a great deal of support but the times they are 'a changing and it seems the public (at least the younger members) are embracing this planned move by our new Prime Minister.
Now I can't be bothered doing any proper research but a dear friend of mine that has a Facebook account tells me she is part of a group on there that support the move and that this group has over a minion members. Considering Australia's population is at about 22 million and not all these people have Facebook, I'm going to say this is something to be taken seriously. It appears a 'sorry' is indeed on the cards.
Or is it?
In the few conversations about Aboriginal rights I've had in my lifetime, the general consensus seems to be 'it happened, get over it'. Most of my peers were under the impression that today's Aboriginal population were holding onto grudges simply so they could play the victim in return for benefits and sympathy. These conversations happened a few years ago now so I'm unsure if opinions are still divided or if there has been a swing one direction but I'm sure we'll be hearing more about this in the coming weeks so stay tuned and, at the risk of being sued, keep watching the skies.
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Comment by Damo
For the Sake of Argument
My Apologetics
Often this issue has been divided along party lines.
The words and ramifications of the apology is still yet to be seen.
However I think most Australians are amicable to the principle of an apology.
Comment by tlcorbin
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Comment by Wynona Lavota
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Comment by Anonymous
If you think about it 200 years is not all that long ago. I think the money should be put in some fund to help with projects that aid the reconciliation/indigenous projects - so that it helps heal the black/white rift. It's difficult because so much time has passed.
There's no easy answer. But the apology is a beginning.
We non-indigenous Australians are living on their land, and it's not like we're going to give it back as we have private ownership these days, we should at least understand their history.