Standard Podcast [20:16m]:
Play Now |
Play in Popup |
Download
Today is a very special day in Australian history. On a day like today - I am very proud to be an Aussie. After many years of grose negligence and disregard for the Aboriginal Indigenous people of Australia - after years of public pressure from millions of everyday black and white Australians - The federal government of Australia, led by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, issued a formal apology to the people of the Stolen Generations.
For millions of Australians - this long overdue apology from our government was one of the biggest blessings in our humanitarian history as a nation.
Regardless of the political undertones of what this day might mean to some - for myself - it is for the sake of the peace offering and the process of our nations reconciliation between Aboriginal Indigenous and non-Aboriginal Indigenous people - that i am most proud. Happy Guru are not here to endorse or promote the political views of our current government - in fact - I am such a fence sitter when it comes to the game of politics. But I must say - when a government acts in a way that shows that are as human as the rest of us - I can’t help but feel mighty proud and pleased that we have a government that is concerned with not just the financial state of our nation - but also the regard for the human condition and it’s health.
There are sadly however, a small minority of people in Australia (most of which are non indigenous white Australians) who deny the importance of this federal governement apology to our Aboriginal Indigenous people - and these people still argue that this apology is a weak and submissive act for our government to offer to the Aboriginal Indigenous of Australia.
Allow me to explain a little more about what the term Stolen Generation refers to. The Stolen Generations (or Stolen Generation) is a term used to describe the Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, usually of mixed descent, who were removed from their families by Australian government agencies and church missions, under various state acts of parliament, denying the rights of parents and making all Aboriginal children wards of the state, between approximately 1869 and 1969.
Up to 100,000 Aboriginal children were taken forcibly or under duress from their families by police or welfare officers. Most were under 5 years of age. There was rarely any judicial process. To be Aboriginal was enough. They are known as the ‘Stolen Generations’.
Most Aboriginal Indigenous children were raised in Church or State institutions. Some were fostered or adopted by white parents. Many suffered physical and sexual abuse. Food and living conditions were poor. They received little education, and were expected to go into low grade domestic and farming work.
The main motive was to ‘assimilate’ Aboriginal children into European society over one or two generations by denying and destroying their Aboriginality.
Speaking their languages and practising their ceremonies was forbidden. They were taken miles from their country homeland, some went overseas. Parents were not told where their children were and could not trace them. Family visits were discouraged or forbidden; letters were often destroyed. The physical and emotional damage to those taken away was profound and lasting. Most Aboriginal Indigenous children grew up in a hostile environment without family ties or cultural identity. As adults, and as you can imagine - many suffered insecurity, lack of self esteem, feelings of worthlessness, depression, suicide, violence, delinquency, abuse of alcohol and drugs and inability to trust. Lacking a parental model, many had difficulty bringing up their own children.
A National Inquiry was set up in 1995. Its 1997 Report ‘Bringing them Home’ contained harrowing evidence. It found that forcible removal of indigenous children was a gross violation of human rights which continued well after Australia had undertaken international human rights commitments. It was racially discriminatory, because it only applied to Aboriginal children on that scale, and it was an act of genocide contrary to the Convention on Genocide, (which forbids ‘forcibly transferring children of a group to another group’ with the intention of destroying the group).
The Stolen Generation has received significant public attention in Australia following the publication in 1997 of the report ‘Bringing Them Home’. The accuracy and fairness of the term “Stolen Generation” is still a controversial issue in Australia as the reasons for the removal of the majority of children are still a matter of debate and investigation. Questions regarding whether policies of removing children based solely on their Aboriginality were adopted or widely adopted, and on what scale it occurred, remain controversial topics within Australian political discourse. On February 13, 2008, which is today’s date - the federal government of Australia, led by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, issued a formal apology to the Stolen Generations.
Right across Australia from Uluru (Ayers Rock) in the red centre outback of Australia and remote Aboriginal Indigenous communities across Australia - to inner city Indigenous suburbs and into the city centres of our state capitals. Large outdoor television screens were placed in outdoor areas where millions of Australians stopped to hear our Prime Minister offer a formal apology to the people of the stolen generation. As you can well imagine - today was a very proud - happy and emotionally charged day in the history of Australia.
Audio from the Prime Ministers Speak is inserted to the podcast here.
So there you have it - a formal apology from Prime Minister, Mr Kevin Rudd - on behalf of the Federal Government of Australia. Now that the apology has been offered to the Aboriginal Indigenous people of Australia - there is so much work to be done to correct the wrong doings our past - and to now put into place measures that nurture, protect and better understand our Aboriginal Indigenous people. Aboriginal Indigenous people are national treasures of our land - today marks the beginning of a new chapter in Australian history - whereby we can now hopefully look forward to a more equal treatment towards all people of Australia - Aboriginal Indigenous and non-Aboriginal Indigenous people and also new Australians were brought closer together in Australia and now more than ever in our history as a nation we are a closer community that makes our nation a more coherent and equally respected community - full of very proud Australians. On a global level and for the sake of humanitarium kindness - today’s apology by our governement sends a clear message about the outlook for all Australians being closer to be a more equally accepted members of a national community - this apology is a peace offering - and for that reason alone I am most proud - world peace happens in small doses - through empathy and kindness and acceptance we all grow and learn more about one anothers culture - Aboriginal Indigenous people and their culture is incredibly spiritually focused on the mother energy of the Australian landscape - there are pages of Australian history that have been written in sad and unforgiving words of wrong doings - the Australian culture will benefit from today’s events and we will all learn so much more from one another and become an even richer nation both culturally and spiritually. When I close our show and ask that you keep yourself in happy places - i mean that in the places you visit and within your heart - Australia moved mountains today in making our nation a happier place. I didn’t think it was possible for me to be a more proud Aussie than I am already- but as of today’s momentus events - I certainly am a much prouder Australian.
That’s it for today’s show - I hope you feel warm in your heart and our podcast has restored some faith in your own beliefs and hopes for humanity.
