Mr HAMPTON - 2008-02-14
Yesterday’s apology to the Stolen Generations by the Australian government was an historic day for the people of this country. It was an incredible privilege for me to attend this event, one which I will not forget. Could you please share with the House your experiences of this most memorable and significant occasion?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Stuart for his question and his support during our trip to Canberra for what he rightly describes as an historic event in federal parliament - and not just for federal parliament, but for Australia.
There were many Territorians from Central Australia as well as the Top End who had travelled to Canberra to hear the Prime Minister say sorry, and many were personally greeted by the Prime Minister. The member for Stuart and I were waiting and it took some time to get up the line. It was just amazing that the Prime Minister of this country stood there - it was well before 7 am - and greeted every single person who walked through the doors going into both the Great Hall of Parliament House and the Chamber for all the VIP guests, to be able to witness what I believe was probably the most defining moment in Australia’s history.
We saw a leader of courage. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd recognised the wrongs visited on the Stolen Generations of indigenous Australians. We heard him apologise on behalf of all Australians, and also call for bipartisan support and approach to dealing with a lot of those issues we are all confronted with federally, in the states and territories, of disadvantages that we see in a lot of our remote Aboriginal communities. He talked about closing the gap with their federal initiative coming together to complement the Northern Territory’s Closing the Gap.
It is 10 years since the Bringing Them Home report which called for an apology. The architect who commissioned that inquiry, Paul Keating, was also in that Chamber. We saw it all come to that closure after Keating as the Prime Minister, initiated that inquiry, and then Prime Minister Kevin Rudd end it with actually saying sorry. We were part of all of that emotion and euphoria. It did not take much; it was just that acknowledgement, I believe, for the first time, to witness both black and white Australians standing together as one, under one flag and united.
That is the first step to go forward. This Prime Minister showed and did more for reconciliation between black and white Australians in that one day than has ever been achieved, I believe, over the 10 years. We saw all of those schoolchildren from the many schools, parents, and grandparents. It was not just Aboriginal people there, it was fantastic to see non-indigenous people be part of that and to embrace it with their children and their grandchildren and to be part of it.
Madam Speaker, for me it was probably a closure. It was putting the last bit of that jigsaw together and closing that. That was very important, for my father and many of his counterparts, a lot of the old people who grew up with him in the Bungalow and Croker Island - there are just a small handful of those people left - sitting down with Prime Minister Rudd and sharing their stories. It was particularly pleasing to see the bipartisan approach and Opposition Leader Brendan Nelson being part of that.
We caught up with minister Macklin’s staff and others, and we gave a full commitment that we will work alongside the Commonwealth, continuing our commitment to implementing our practical response in Closing the Gap, and working together to put those measures in place. The issue of what do we do next is about working together to ensure that we do meet the measures that we have both committed to put in place. The Prime Minister has given himself five years. He has committed every state and territory Chief Minister and Premier to this. There is a lot of work to do to address that disadvantage, but I am sure we are all up to the challenge.
It was a fantastic day. It was a place where that achievement through mutual respect certainly came through yesterday.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Stuart for his question and his support during our trip to Canberra for what he rightly describes as an historic event in federal parliament - and not just for federal parliament, but for Australia.
There were many Territorians from Central Australia as well as the Top End who had travelled to Canberra to hear the Prime Minister say sorry, and many were personally greeted by the Prime Minister. The member for Stuart and I were waiting and it took some time to get up the line. It was just amazing that the Prime Minister of this country stood there - it was well before 7 am - and greeted every single person who walked through the doors going into both the Great Hall of Parliament House and the Chamber for all the VIP guests, to be able to witness what I believe was probably the most defining moment in Australia’s history.
We saw a leader of courage. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd recognised the wrongs visited on the Stolen Generations of indigenous Australians. We heard him apologise on behalf of all Australians, and also call for bipartisan support and approach to dealing with a lot of those issues we are all confronted with federally, in the states and territories, of disadvantages that we see in a lot of our remote Aboriginal communities. He talked about closing the gap with their federal initiative coming together to complement the Northern Territory’s Closing the Gap.
It is 10 years since the Bringing Them Home report which called for an apology. The architect who commissioned that inquiry, Paul Keating, was also in that Chamber. We saw it all come to that closure after Keating as the Prime Minister, initiated that inquiry, and then Prime Minister Kevin Rudd end it with actually saying sorry. We were part of all of that emotion and euphoria. It did not take much; it was just that acknowledgement, I believe, for the first time, to witness both black and white Australians standing together as one, under one flag and united.
That is the first step to go forward. This Prime Minister showed and did more for reconciliation between black and white Australians in that one day than has ever been achieved, I believe, over the 10 years. We saw all of those schoolchildren from the many schools, parents, and grandparents. It was not just Aboriginal people there, it was fantastic to see non-indigenous people be part of that and to embrace it with their children and their grandchildren and to be part of it.
Madam Speaker, for me it was probably a closure. It was putting the last bit of that jigsaw together and closing that. That was very important, for my father and many of his counterparts, a lot of the old people who grew up with him in the Bungalow and Croker Island - there are just a small handful of those people left - sitting down with Prime Minister Rudd and sharing their stories. It was particularly pleasing to see the bipartisan approach and Opposition Leader Brendan Nelson being part of that.
We caught up with minister Macklin’s staff and others, and we gave a full commitment that we will work alongside the Commonwealth, continuing our commitment to implementing our practical response in Closing the Gap, and working together to put those measures in place. The issue of what do we do next is about working together to ensure that we do meet the measures that we have both committed to put in place. The Prime Minister has given himself five years. He has committed every state and territory Chief Minister and Premier to this. There is a lot of work to do to address that disadvantage, but I am sure we are all up to the challenge.
It was a fantastic day. It was a place where that achievement through mutual respect certainly came through yesterday.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016