Keywords: Stolen Generations
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AUSTRALIA
- Myrna Tonkinson
- 19 February 2009
9 Comments
The muted recognition of the anniversary of the National Apology was partly due
to the bushfires in Victoria, which continue, understandably, to
monopolise attention and emotion. But the
momentous event of February 2008 has not been followed up by
significant developments in Indigenous affairs.
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AUSTRALIA
- John Warhurst
- 30 January 2009
7 Comments
Obama's inauguration included official ceremonies, public speeches, street parties and ten presidential balls. Such pomp and ceremony is underrated. If he had been sworn in, Australian-style, it would have been a much duller affair.
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AUSTRALIA
- Myrna Tonkinson
- 29 January 2009
9 Comments
Dodson can be expected to show courageous leadership, and not shrink from challenging government.
The responses of Tony Abbott and some Aboriginal leaders exemplify the fact that many see the focus on Indigenous rights as passé.
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RELIGION
- Frank Brennan
- 06 January 2009
5 Comments
Most indigenous Australians appreciated Labor's wide consultation. Some were angered by elements of Brendan Nelson's speech. But he did well do bring the Liberal and National Parties with him, ensuring they did not rain on the national parade as they had in 1988 and 1997. (February 2008)
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AUSTRALIA
- John Warhurst
- 21 October 2008
1 Comment
Kevin Rudd has a patchy record of bipartisanship. Although Rudd and Turnbull together offer the best chance yet for the republican movement, they have traded blows over bipartisan approaches to this and to the the economic crisis.
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ARTS AND CULTURE
- Deborah Ruiz Wall
- 14 October 2008
3 Comments
and so it was, in Canberra .. alongside screens from across the globe .. where many eyes focused on this fateful day to witness
.. a new national leader seize the first opportunity
.. to begin his regime with one word
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RELIGION
- Frank Brennan
- 06 October 2008
'Lee and
Christine Rush are your average Ozzie couple, except that their teenage son Scott is on death row in Bali having been
convicted of being a hapless drug mule. It will not go down well on the streets of Jakarta
if Australians are baying for the blood of the Bali bombers one month
and then pleading to save our sons and daughters the next month.'
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AUSTRALIA
- Michael Mullins
- 21 July 2008
20 Comments
It's hard to think of anybody who would not have welcomed Pope Benedict's apology for sexual abuse. By contrast,
nobody could have been pleased to hear an exasperated
Bishop Anthony Fisher refer last week to those 'dwelling crankily
... on old wounds'.
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ARTS AND CULTURE
Events such as the National Apology and the Northern Territory Intervention loom large in the collective memory. Many of the struggles faced by early 20th century activist Fred Maynard regarding the protection
of Indigenous rights remain with us today.
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ENVIRONMENT
One of the most devastating effects of European settlement upon Aboriginal people was caused by fencing. Fences have also disrupted normal behaviour of kangaroos, which have come to be regarded as enemies by landowners.
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RELIGION
- Andrew Hamilton
- 08 April 2008
4 Comments
Symbolic gestures such as the apology to the Stolen Generations are often seen as a substitute for practical action. But sentiment provides important pathways into understanding the human impact of government policy-making.
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AUSTRALIA
Australia could learn much from East Timor about the importance — and
limitations — of acknowledging a painful past. East
Timor's experience suggests the significance of both symbolic acknowledgement and material reparations.
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