Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Today White Australia says Sorry…

Today, the Australian government said sorry to the ‘stolen’ generation. I applaud Kevin Rudd for taking the initiative to make this historical apology.

I think it was the right thing to do. Yet too many people said 'I didn't do it. Why should I apologize?' I think this is a wrong argument.

Sometimes we have an ‘individualistic’ view of sin. We think that my sin is what matters, and all I am responsible for is my own actions.

But what we forget is that we live in a community. Humans are far more collective than we realize. When we elect a government that fights a war that we disagree with, we are responsible because we put them there. When one person sins, it affects people around us.

But sin also has consequences which flow over from one generation to the next. It affects people who come generations after us. When we don’t right the wrongs of previous generations, we are showing that we agree with their sin. The old saying is true: 'The fathers eat sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge' (Ezekiel 18:2).

Our country prides itself upon its the achievements – we started off as a penal colony and look at the go we have made of the country. But we don’t take credit for the bad. And we need to.

And that’s why today I am proud to be an Australian. Because we said sorry. And it was long overdue.

Sorry.

"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."