Tuesday, 12 February 2008
Saying sorry will let the healing begin
Tomorrow’s national apology to members of the Stolen Generations is an important milestone in Australia’s history which will lay the foundations for healing to take place and for a reconciled Australia in which everyone belongs, the Australian Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC) said today.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Tom Calma and HREOC President John von Doussa will be present in Parliament House for the national apology tomorrow.
Calls for a national apology were among a range of recommendations made by HREOC in its landmark 1997 Bringing them home Report. Tomorrow’s apology represents an important basis from which a genuine healing process can begin, Mr von Doussa said today.
“While the government is to be congratulated for moving so quickly to acknowledge the gross violations of fundamental human rights caused to Indigenous Australians by the separation of their children from their families and culture, the apology is only one step in the journey to reconciliation which still has a long way to go,” Mr von Doussa said.
“All governments in Australia must now work to eliminate the gap between the life advantages of non-Indigenous and Indigenous Australians, with particular priority given to addressing the pressing issues of health, housing, education and employment."
Commissioner Calma said by acknowledging and paying respect to the Stolen Generations, those who have suffered can move forward to heal, and ultimately, to belong.
“This national apology will directly benefit members of the Stolen Generations by validating their experiences and the rest of society as a whole by building a bridge between all Australians,” he said.
“It is not about black armbands and guilt. It is about inclusion and learning from the past. And ultimately, it is about providing space in the telling of our national story for the Stolen Generations.
“It is also important to recognise the many millions of non-Indigenous Australians who have supported and worked with Indigenous people through our long and arduous journey.”
Human Rights Commissioner, Graeme Innes, said the apology allowed a national grief to be validated and healing to begin.
“The apology recognises and respects the inherent value and dignity of Indigenous people who for so long have struggled to have their grief and suffering acknowledged,” Commissioner Innes said. “It is the start of a new era for us all to move forward together.”
Sex Discrimination Commissioner and Commissioner responsible for Age Discrimination, Elizabeth Broderick, said the national apology was particularly important to recognise the trauma suffered by Indigenous mothers whose children were forcibly removed from them.
“It is a mother’s worst nightmare to have your child taken from you,” Commissioner Broderick said. “This apology acknowledges the complexities and difficulties which emerge when the bond between mother and child is broken – especially when such a bond is one of the key ingredients for the nurturing of the next generation.”
Lady Wilson, wife of then HREOC President Sir Ron Wilson, along with former Social Justice Commissioner Mick Dodson, who conducted most of the hearings of the national inquiry which resulted in the Bringing them home Report, will also be present in Canberra for the apology tomorrow. They will be joined by Dr William Jonas, also a former Social Justice Commissioner.
HREOC has produced a range of resources supporting the Bringing them home Report including: Us Taken-Away Kids, a magazine launched in late 2007 commemorating the 10th anniversary of the report; the updated Bringing them home education module; and the Bringing them home Report and community guide. All resources are available online at: www.humanrights.gov.au/social_justice/bth_report/
