asprilla

Very good point.

Swerv-o

Yes, and then you can get carried away with it. I would personally like the Egyptian government to apologise on behalf of the Pharaohs for all the slavery they undertook to build the pyramids and other such temples.

On a more serious note, I'm still undecided. I can see the point that this can lead to reconciliation, but I can also see the point that any compensation money is money that is being taken away from the communities in which it is most needed.

Shame there was no 'Undecided' button on the poll...


S

moneypenny20

I honestly don't see the point of a generation saying sorry for something previous generations did which at the time was legal. Hindsight is a wonderful thing but totally irrelevant.

Will 'sorry' stop the two tier legal system that operates now? Will 'sorry' help the Aborigine people deal with the 21st century the same way the rest of the country does - whether better or not? Where would it end?

I will apologise for something my children do that is wrong, I won't apologise for something my parents did. In my opinion that is not my responsibility. My responsibility lies with the future, not the past.

deryans

we can at least try...............

renth

I don't believe there is a two tier legal system.

chrispy

This website answers soem of the common questions related to this subject, might clear up some uncertainty in what an apology actually means..

http://www.reconcile.org.au/getsmart...rry--faq.php#8

Dennis The Menace

A bit like this Harry Enfield Sketch

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OF4QALVjPf8

cresta57

My maternal grandparents were Newfies ,I've read quite a lot about the Beothuks & the history of Newfoundland.
As I understood it Shanadithit was the niece of Mary March aka Demasduit. Maybe I'm just confused eh?

asprilla

Well, first of all, the apology is not an individual one that you will have to make to an individual aboriginal.

But your post does make me think..... - Lets say, for arguments sake, that my dad is found guilty of murdering the parents of another family (this is entirely fictional by the way!). If I was to meet those children that had no parents, then would I feel apologetic and sorry ? The answer is yes. I would know that I was not responsible for my dad's actions, but I would feel sorry for them, and would let them know that I was sorry.

What do you reckon Moneypen20?

rabsody

I support a "sorry". My concern is that if the govt. did go the way of compensation - even if it was/is entitled - there would be such resentment and backlash by the Australian public that it would almost nullify part of the reason for the apology in the first place i.e. to break down the barriers and move forward. It would make the divide even worse.

esperanza

The English language really needs to have more than one word for sorry, doesn't it. There should be 'sorry' as an apology for something that you did, and 'sorry' as in 'I feel sorry about what happened'. It would also prevent people saying "Sorry about x" (e.g. someone being sick) to which I usually want to respond with a shrug and a " 'salright, it's not your fault!"

sunbather

I work with an Aboriginal woman who was one of the stolen children. I fully understand that there is a problem with the Aboriginals and their consumption of alcohol, but she says that her mother only turned to drink after all her children were taken away from her. Whilst the woman I work with can see the opportunities that she was given with her education, she says it has left her feeling very misplaced as she doesn't fit in with white people but neither does she fit in with other Aboriginals as they snub her for being educated and doing a white person's job. FWIW she says all she ever wanted is for someone to apologise for taking her away from her mother.

moneypenny20

When I hear of blind police not seeing indigenous people getting hammered on the streets and then arrest 'white' people for the same offence I think there is. When a child is gang raped by indigenous people who get off with a slapped wrist even though they admitted what they had done and I know full well any white group would be rightly jailed, I think there is.

Luke I Amyofath

Yes, it seems you are correct. I lived in Newfoundland for 9 years and for some reason understood that mary march was Shanadithit. The museum in St John's actually houses her clothing that she was forced into wearing. In any case, its a real sad history for the Beothuks.

A little bit of trivia while Im on about Newfoundland: Fishermen came from England to fish of the grand banks which had an abundance of cod. They stayed on the island and many wanted to settle. To stop the settlement, england made it illegal to build any dwelling and put a chimney in it. This effectively made houses unhabitable. The brits didnt say you couldnt live in newfoundland, it just made it impossible !

The funniest thing I saw one time at the airport in st john's was a customs/security notice that read "you are not required to submit to a search if you chose not to board the aircraft"

ozzieeagle

Finally a reasonable thread on the Sorry issue.

Its a lot more complicated than the way you've potrayed it here MP, First of all a significant proportion of Koori people have fitted into mainstream society without a problem. We dont hear about these people, yet they carry Koori blood and live the same daily lives and pay the same taxes and do the same things that the rest of us do in our day to day existence.

Can you explain more what you mean by the dual legal system ? As I dont have a clue what your talking about. Unless your talking about tribal law that operates in some communities that choose to live that way, and doesn't apply to the majority of Koori people that live outside those communities.

Also I dont see how the government making the gracious statement of saying "Sorry" for past wrongs makes it more likely for people within the Koori community to sue for compensation after the statement than would have been likely without one. That will always be up for courtrooms to decide. Whether the sorry statement makes a difference to this situation is highly debateable.

As I understand the situation the Sorry statement is simply an acknowledgement of the pain that displaced families have been through in the very recent past, of the 1950's and 60's rather than taking on board responsibility for any current issues. or indeed the fact that the country was settled by Europeans in the first place.

If a statement of Sorry helps the others catch up to the majority then surely that is a good thing.

Everyone has a different opinion on this, the problem I see is that people are focusing on the negative aspects of the issues that have carried over from the past than the positive ones... and there are lots of positives.

Even the Government are having major issues trying to word this apology the issue is far more complicated than focusing on outback problems where the situation is obviously very bad.... Theres a long way to go yet and anything that helps that situation is surely a way to move forwards out of this mess.

BTW I'm not voting on the issue until I see the wording.