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Legislative Council - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2013-02-20 Daily Xml
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STOLEN GENERATIONS

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (15:02): My question is to the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation. Will the minister—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: I have not noticed the minister being on the ropes.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: He is sitting to my right, which are the benches that you wish to occupy. He is doing alright. The Hon. Mr Maher.

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: Thank you, Mr President. My question is to the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation. Will the minister inform the chamber how the fifth anniversary of the National Apology to the Stolen Generations was marked within South Australia?

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: I hope he has an 18-minute answer. The honourable Minister for Aboriginal Affairs.

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Minister for Water and the River Murray, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation) (15:03): Thank you, Mr President. I thank the Hon. Mr Maher for his very important question on this topic.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: Thank you, Mr President. I really shouldn't, but it is just too easy. I could not help myself. It is the story of my life.

An honourable member interjecting:

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: Indeed. In fact, I have been advised recently that my leader has been right all along and I have been incorrect, and I am happy to stand corrected by my leader, as always. On Wednesday last week, Australia marked the fifth anniversary of the federal government's apology to stolen generations. Five years ago the prime minister of Australia took a step that will be remembered in Australia's history books for a long time to come. On behalf of the Commonwealth of Australia the then prime minister of Australia, Kevin Rudd, issued a formal apology to the stolen generations at Parliament House, Canberra.

Last week we were fortunate to have Mr Rudd in our state, where he gave a speech at the annual Reconciliation SA breakfast on the apology itself, the stolen generations and the path ahead for reconciliation. As expected by many there at the breakfast, Kevin had much to say and I would recommend all members of this chamber to have a look at his speech. It is, I understand, going to be uploaded to the Reconciliation SA website soon. I apologise in advance to the Hon. Tammy Franks who was also at the function and, for her, this will be a little bit of repetition but I think it does bear repeating.

The Hon. S.G. Wade: And the Leader of the Opposition was there, as well.

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: I stand corrected: the Leader of the Opposition in the other place certainly was there.

The Hon. D.W. Ridgway: The next premier of South Australia.

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: In your dreams!

The PRESIDENT: Stop misleading the house, the Hon. Mr Ridgway.

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: I wouldn't do that, sir. There were a few points he raised—

The Hon. D.W. Ridgway: If he can say in my dreams is misleading the house.

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: —that I think are worth sharing with the council.

The PRESIDENT: 'The next premier of South Australia.'

The Hon. J.S.L. Dawkins: We don't need to hear about his dreams.

The PRESIDENT: What, Steven Marshall's dreams? God. The honourable minister.

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: Thank you, sir. Mr Rudd told how he prepared for the apology by throwing away his finely-crafted but very sterile departmental brief notes and sitting down with members of the stolen generation, where he spent the better half of the morning just listening to them. Mr Rudd told how he wanted to make sure that the apology was ultimately accepted by Aboriginal Australians and the stolen generations. In order to do so he felt that it would need to come from non-Aboriginal Australians, of course. Indeed, this was a view that was shared by another Australian prime minister, the Hon. Paul Keating, in his famous Redfern speech. I will quote a few lines:

The starting point might be to recognise that the problem starts with us non-Aboriginal Australians.

It begins, I think, with that act of recognition.

Recognition that it was we who did the dispossessing.

I think at the time politically the notion of an apology was ridiculed. It was derided by some. There was an awful lot of nonsense that was said about it at the time—and its worth to reconciliation and the Aboriginal people was questioned and even dismissed by some as nothing more than mere symbolism.

However, Mr Rudd reminded us why the apology was more than just a symbol. When someone wrongs another person and they realise the error that they participated in, they apologise. An insincere apology can be seen a mile away. Whenever an apology is conducted there is an inherent emotional business going on between the two parties, Mr Rudd told us. For the stolen generations and, indeed, wider Australia, this is exactly what happened on that day. In the last five years many members of the stolen generation have spoken about how the apology has put them in a better place.

Mr Rudd talked about how many foreign leaders and diplomats saw the apology as an important facet of Australia's reputation as being a good global citizen. It was clear that everyone gathered in the room last Wednesday was and is committed to making real life improvements in the quality of life for Aboriginal South Australians. Whilst the national apology marked an important milestone, the journey is not yet over, and events like this anniversary serve as a reminder for all of us in this endeavour.

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