HISTORY COUNCIL ADVOCACY - Indigenous Issues
The Apology Text of a letter sent to The Hon Kevin Rudd MP by Dr Sue Graham-Taylor, President
On behalf of the History Council of Western Australia we wish to applaud and say ‘thank you’, to you and your government for the formal apology to Indigenous Australians for past injustices, in particular, the treatment of the Stolen Generations. As historians we recognise the importance of acknowledging and owning our history, thus allowing us, as a nation to better manage our future. Your speech was a powerful statement from the heart and not mere words as has been suggested even by yourself. It will be remembered as an important moment in Australian history, building upon the precedents set by Stanner’s Boyer Lecture and Keating’s Redfern speech. The Apology was important for its content and for your sincerity which was evident to those in the chamber, and to the millions who watched on television. In As historians we recognise that The Apology marks official acknowledgement and sorrow for the harm inflicted on Indigenous Australians by various Federal and State policies and believe it marks an important turning point in Indigenous/Australian history. We were also pleased to learn of your intention to carry out a yearly audit on the progress made in improving conditions for Indigenous Australians and hope that consideration will be given to the importance of promoting a wider understanding of Indigenous history, not only in schools, though this is necessary, but in the wider community. It is evident that your speech had a profound effect on many people and we would be interested to know, if in preparing the speech, you had considered the impact it would have for so many non Indigenous Australians. Again, thank you for your clear acknowledgement of the past injustice and for providing us with the opportunity to envisage and build towards a new united Australian nation. |