Australia to apologise to Aborigines
Australia will issue its first formal apology for past mistreatment
to the country’s indigenous people on Feb. 13, a senior minister said
Wednesday. Indigenous Affairs Minister Jenny Macklin said the apology to
Australia’s so-called “stolen generation” of Aborigines would be the
first item of business for the new Labour-dominated Parliament.
“The apology will be made on behalf of the Australian government and
does not attribute guilt to the current generation of Australian
people,” Macklin said in a statement.
Macklin said she had sought broad input on the wording of the
apology, which she hoped would signal the beginning of a new
relationship between mainstream Australia and its Aboriginal minority.
“Once we establish this respect, the government can work with
indigenous communities to improve services aimed at closing the 17-year
life expectancy gap between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians,”
she said.
Australia’s original inhabitants, Aborigines number about 450,000
among a population of 21 million. Aborigines are the poorest ethnic
group in Australia and are most likely to be jailed, unemployed and
illiterate.
Canberra, Wednesday, AP |