Dana Wortley (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today to support completely the apology to Australia’s Indigenous people. In doing so I acknowledge and honour the traditional owners of all the lands across our vast continent of Australia. I had the opportunity to address this issue in an earlier speech yesterday so on this occasion I will be brief. Our children are precious. I cannot find the words that could adequately describe the feelings of those mothers and fathers who had their children taken, often whisked away, and placed in locations unknown to them, or the feelings of the children whose mothers and fathers were lost to them, some for years, some for decades, some forever. Out of sight does not equate to out of mind and the Aboriginal people I have met and spoken with throughout my life, those of the stolen generations and those whose family members—mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, and partners—were of the stolen generations, have a depth of sadness in their eyes. It becomes immediately apparent that the years have not dimmed their memory nor lessened the hurt.

As the Prime Minister said yesterday, there comes a time in the history of nations when their peoples must become fully reconciled to their past if they are to go forward with confidence to embrace their future. We have taken too long to apologise for the treatment of our Indigenous people, those of the stolen generations and others who have suffered and continue to suffer inequality and disadvantage. Families of the stolen generations were torn apart, subjected to indignity, humiliation and unimaginable sadness, loss and grief, and that is why we say sorry. As the Bringing them home report commissioned by the Keating Labor government and handed down in 1997 cites:

For victims of gross human rights violations, establishing the truth about the past is a critically important measure of reparation ...

The report also says:

For many victims and their families, an accurate and truthful description of past policies and practices and of their consequences is the first requirement of justice and the first step towards healing wounds ... Also essential is an acknowledgment of responsibility ...

The truth has now been acknowledged in the first week of the 42nd Parliament of Australia. Past actions and present consequences have been recognised. An apology has been delivered. The Prime Minister has said sorry on behalf of the government and the parliament for the hurt caused to members of the stolen generations and other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. This simple and symbolic act brought unbridled tears from many who thought they would not bear witness to it in their lifetime.

Today as a nation we are now ready to advance reconciliation with our Indigenous peoples. Now we find ourselves at a place from which to start building better relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians, a better future. Together we can begin the journey to establish mutual respect, from which we can work towards achieving other meaningful goals. Now we must move forward, Indigenous and non-Indigenous people, in learning from the mistakes of the past and ensuring that they are never repeated.

As I have already said, there is much to be done across the Australian community to bring about reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. Through consultation and collaboration with Indigenous people and communities the government will seek to build a relationship based on respect. We must translate our words of apology into actions via meaningful and effective policy, legislation and law. The government will continue developing and implementing a range of initiatives to help close the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians in the area of health outcomes and educational achievements. As a nation we need to recognise the true and full value of Indigenous culture. As a government we pledge to address this and other examples of oversight and neglect of our Indigenous Australians.