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13 February 2008
The Australian Parliament today unanimously supported a national apology to the Stolen Generations.
This implemented the Rudd Labor Government’s commitment to apologise to the Stolen Generations who were removed from the care of their families under the policies of past governments.
Key Indigenous organisations representing the Stolen Generations were consulted in relation to the apology.
The apology is a sincere acknowledgement of a wrong done, and the right thing to do to build a bridge of understanding and respect with Indigenous Australia.
The national apology has both important symbolic value and is a vital healing message for those who suffered, and still suffer, as a result of forcible removal.
As the Prime Minister said today, ‘There is a further reason for an apology as well: it is that reconciliation is in fact an expression of a core value of our nation—and that value is a fair go for all. There is a deep and abiding belief in the Australian community that, for the stolen generations, there was no fair go at all. There is a pretty basic Aussie belief that says it is time to put right this most outrageous of wrongs.’
The Government’s focus is now very much on the future and on closing the 17 year gap in life expectancy between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians, and children in particular.
The Government has set key targets for its Indigenous policies and these have been adopted by the Council of Australian Governments:
* closing the gap in life expectancy within a generation
* halving the gap in mortality rates for Indigenous children under five within a decade; and
* halving the gap in reading, writing and numeracy achievements for Indigenous children within a decade.
A bipartisan policy commission led by the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition was agreed today to address Indigenous disadvantage, commencing with an effective housing strategy for remote communities over the next five years.
The Commission will also work on constitutional recognition of the First Australians.