Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Saying Sorry
Yesterday was a pretty significant day in Australian history. I'm guessing it may not have been the first story on the American or Canadian news, so I'll try to fill you in. The first time I heard about "The Stolen Generation" was from Louise when we were in Taiwan. I'm pretty sure they left that out of the history books we used in high school, because I was pretty shocked. To try to summarize history, Australia's government authorized the removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their homes and family during the years of 1869 to 1970. It was mainly children of mixed descent, and they put them into orphanages or foster homes. Some people said it was for protection because the children wouldn't fit into their society, but others admitted that they were hoping to "breed out" Aboriginal characteristics for a white society.
Estimates put the number of children taken over 100,000, but there's still a lot of debate and investigation as to the extent and effect. It's hard to believe it's taken this long for the government to apologize, especially because the government report documenting the issues was released in 1997. But the previous governments refused to admit responsibility because they were worried about having to financially compensate those affected; John Howard (former Prime Minister) said "Australians of this generation should not be required to accept guilt and blame for past actions and policies."
But yesterday Kevin Rudd (current Prime Minister) read his apology, and it was very well received across the country. He said sorry without qualifications, and pledged to rectify the past by addressing the issues facing the Aboriginal community today. The Liberal and Conservative parties agreed to work together to establish preschools and better health care. Afterwards, the head of the opposition party read a speech that wasn't as well accepted. He did apologize, but he tried to justify it and compare it with other tragedies such as the death during the world wars. He said that the children were removed "with the best of intentions" from lives of squalor. People watching outside Parliament and at live links across Australia all stood with their backs to the screens in protest.
If you're interested, you can
read the speech or watch a great (short)
multimedia clip.
Yesterday was a pretty significant day in Australian history. I'm guessing it may not have been the first story on the American or Canadian news, so I'll try to fill you in. The first time I heard about "The Stolen Generation" was from Louise when we were in Taiwan. I'm pretty sure they left that out of the history books we used in high school, because I was pretty shocked. To try to summarize history, Australia's government authorized the removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their homes and family during the years of 1869 to 1970. It was mainly children of mixed descent, and they put them into orphanages or foster homes. Some people said it was for protection because the children wouldn't fit into their society, but others admitted that they were hoping to "breed out" Aboriginal characteristics for a white society.
Read or Post a Comment
Wow. Thanks for your explanation, I had no idea this happened! It's terribly sad that aboriginals the world round have had to fight so hard to retain their culture. Good for Australia. I can only hope Canada can step up to the plate and take responsibility for our past, too.
have you seen rabbit proof fence? it touches on the issue and is a beautiful film