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"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."

This is the heart of the Stolen Generations apology Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, will deliver to Indigenous Australians during his historic ‘Sorry Day’ address to the Parliament today. Three times sorry…it apparently isn’t the hardest word to say after all. But it’s been a very long time coming.

An official national apology was one of the key recommendations of the ‘Bringing Them Home’ report handed down by the late High Court Judge, Sir Ronald Wilson, in 1997 following exhaustive national hearings in the Stolen Generations Inquiry. The inquiry, established by the Keating Government, investigated the forcible removal of Aboriginal children from their families between 1910-1970 under various assimilationist policies literally designed to ‘whiten’ the population. Under these policies ‘half-caste’ children deemed whiter than black were essentially kidnapped by government officials, moved to institutions and white homes far removed from their families and lied to about their heritage.

As the inquiry traversed the country, thousands of Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders gave evidence about the hardship they endured as members of the Stolen Generations. The stories they told were heartbreaking and shame-inducing, prompting a national outpouring of grief amidst public soul-searching.

The inquiry found that between 1-10 and 1-3 Indigenous children were forcibly removed from their communities during the six decades in which these racist policies were in operation. It also established that 1-10 of those institutionalised and 1-5 placed in the care of white families reported being sexually abused. It was also revealed that many of these children were later sent to work for low or no wages – in effect they were used as slave labour. The policies that enabled this travesty continued to operate until 1970 but they were considered genocidal under international law from 1947 and racially discriminatory after 1950.

Governments of the day justified these policies on familiar grounds – it was in the children’s best interests…they were victims of abuse…they needed better educational opportunities. These excuses were being retreaded up until just last week by Howard’s lingering henchmen to justify continuing opposition to a national apology and the controversial Northern Territory ‘Intervention’ which essentially revives the policies being apologised for today.

Shadow Indigenous Affairs Minister Tony Abbott finally fell in line with the change of heart expressed by Opposition leader Brendan Nelson and agreed to endorse the wording of the apology last night. But the agreement still stuck in his throat and his stony expression looked likely to crack when Tony Jones probed for details of his personal journey towards accepting the apology on Lateline . He continued to suggest the wording was inappropriate (the Opposition wanted the word ‘stolen’ changed to the euphemistic ‘separated’) but begrudgingly promised the Coalition would not oppose the apology.

And notably absent from today’s historic parliamentary occasion will be the former Prime Minister, John Howard, who fought tooth and nail against issuing a national apology and infamously thumped the lectern angrily during a Reconciliation address in 1997 when Indigenous members of the audience stood and turned their backs on him as he attempted to justify his opposition to an apology.

Fast forward 11 years to yesterday’s opening ceremony of the first parliament of the Rudd Government and the scene couldn’t have been bigger contrast to the division and anger that characterised Howard’s handling of Indigenous affairs. For the first time, Aboriginal and Torres Islander Australians were invited to participate in the proceedings. Ngannawal elder, Matilda House, led the ‘Welcome to Country’ ceremony which acknowledged the Aborginal history of the land on which the parliament sits and celebrated Kevin Rudd’s election.

Amidst lively traditional dance and music featuring didgeridoos and clapsticks, Ms House’s grandchildren presented the PM with a message stick which she explained was a means of communication “used by our peoples for thousands of years to tell the stories of coming together”. Dressed in a possum fur cloak, she praised the new government for the planned apology and for involving Indigenous people in the opening of the historic session of parliament. “It’s a good, honest, decent, human act…to reach out…to make sure everyone has a place and is welcome”, she told the packed Members Hall.

In response, Kevin Rudd said a ‘Welcome to Country’ ceremony would mark the opening of every parliament in future.

When Old Parliament House was officially opened in 1927, the only Aborigine reported present was asked to move on by the police. ‘King Billy’ Jimmy Clements was barefoot and in the company of dogs. But as, Tony Wright points out in The Age, in a show of public unity that reflected a more tolerant spirit, the gathered white crowd insisted he stand his ground and showered him with coins. The next day he featured in the official ceremony and was greeted by royalty. The court of public opinion triumphed on that day as it did on November 24th last year with the election of the Rudd government which campaigned for a national apology to the Stolen Generations.

Clearly the apology will carry very powerful symbolism and renew the spirit of reconciliation but the government must now tackle, with tangible, practical gestures of reconciliation, the 20 year gap in black-white mortality, endemic disease, homelessness, alcoholism, violence and myriad other complex problems that plague Indigenous communities. And, despite publicly rejecting the Stolen Generations report's recommendations for reparations, the Government must know it has to consider compensating the victims if the apology is to carry weight.

Kevin Rudd acknowledged the apology is just the beginning. As he will say later this morning “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.”

Matilda House is optimistic about the future: “With this comes renewed hope…our pride and strength are refreshed…like our ancestors we can reach new heights soaring on the wings of the eagles.” I, too, have hope and I'm praying sorry is the magic word.



Anticipation: Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians have converged on Canberra for the formal apology. (AAP: Alan Porritt)


Update: view Kevin Rudd's "Sorry" speech here.    [read more]