How Significant Was Kevin Rudd's Apology to the Stolen Generations - Essay Example

? How significant was Kevin Rudd’s apology to the stolen generation? affiliation How significant was Kevin Rudd’s apologyto the stolen generation? The apology statement famously known as apology to the stolen generation was addressed to the public on 13th February 2008. This famous apology statement was addressed as an apology from the state to the indigenous people living in Australia. Apart from a representation of the governments’ views, the apology statement was also aimed to represent the views of Australian citizens. In the history of political speeches in Australia, this held the record for the most emotional speech in many years. The depth of the statement had gone to deep to be assumed to be just a political statement. It also represented social views regarding the ignored states of the indigenous people on Australia (Docker, Curthoys & Peters-Little, 2010). It was also compared to a speech by human rights groups. The apology did not impact only in Australian citizens but it has a global effect in the fight against abuse of human rights. The apology statement moved the population’s perception of the indigenous people. In the past the Australian government had done a lot of harm and injustice towards the indigenous people. The apology statement was intended to mend that wrong by initiating perception change and convincing people that the government will give justice to indigenous people. The main aim of this essay is to analyze the contents and the implication of the apology statement. It will also provide a perspective on the significance of the apology statement by Kevin Rudd’s Apology to the Stolen Generation. The release of the apology statement had been waited for a long time and anticipated. The speculations started being believed when the children of Torres Strait and other indigenous children were taken away from their parents. This action sparked a nationwide row over the matter. It is at this point when the children were termed as the stolen generation. However, the Australian government insisted that all it did was to expose the children to a more modernized and friendly environment. These claims were not accepted by the human rights groups who still insisted the act was heinous and contradicted the law. It is this argument that led to the establishment of an inquiry to look into the matter. The team was led by Ronald Wilson and Mick Dodson (Beecher, 2009). The inquiry was given the title; the national inquiry into the separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait children from their parents. The findings of this inquiry were founded in a report known as bringing them home report. The report contained the inquires’ recommendation of some charity and just deeds towards the children. Apart from the recommendation, the report shows that one out of three children was taken forcefully away from their parents. In the report tribulations of the children undergo while under the government were highlighted in the report. According to the report many of the children taken to foster home were unhappy with their living conditions. There were also some claims of forced labour imposed upon the children (Kahane, 2009). All these inquiries and speculations were made possible by the speech made by Kevin Rudd. The speech led to the formation of the inquiry, the writing of the report, and the recommendations to solve these issues. According to Rudolf (2009), it was for the first time in history that the indigenous people felt that they were being represented and their living conditions noticed to be inhumane. All this developments are attributed to the Prime Minister and his landmark apology statement. As the world celebrated the major step towards the realization of human rights, the immediate Australian government and the rest governments found a critical issue to base their debates on. The political expression made by the apology by the apology statement was very significant in Australia. 11 years prior to the statement in 2008, no government accepted the fact that injustice was inflicted towards the stolen generation. It is due to this that the apology was never announced. Due to the political responsibility of leaders, no leader was willing to admit that they were part of the violation of human rights experienced by the stolen generation. Apart from the fear of announcement there was a general feeling and perception that the compensation to be made by to the stolen generation would cost a lot of money. Behrend (2011) claims that it is due to this many leaders shied away from owning up to the truth since they found it difficult to explain to tax payer show they would spend so much of their money to save the stolen generation. It is these two problems that made it difficult for the possibility of an apology statement. Politically, Kevin Rudd used the apology statement as a tool to gain political advantage and support. In his campaign he had promised the public that he would give the apology. After his election, it was only logic if he fulfilled his promise to maintain his political achievement. The announcement of the apology statement was a historical event in Australia (Fejo-King, 2011). Many school children gathered to listen and witness the historical event. Around the parliament, many indigenous people were seen witnessing the event. It is after the announcement that the political scope in Australia shifted and became more focused on its indigenous people. This landmark apology statement also created the sense of responsibility towards indigenous people of Australia. The development became a very strong political statement which could easily shape the political future of a leader. The apology statement also played a major role in the reconciliation between indigenous people and the rest of the population. Over the years the indigenous population was violated, exclude from employment opportunities and the exclusion in the distribution of and resources allocation. Reconciliation was the main aim in the bringing them home report. After the report was written it became the question of how reconciliation would be initiated. Kevin Rudd seemed to have the answer to that question as his apology statement played a major role in reconciliation process between the Aborigines and the rest of the population (Hanisch, 2011). With the announcement, the rest of the population indicated that they were ready to reconcile with their indigenous counterparts. After the bringing them home report in 1997, the fate of the indigenous people in Australia still had different voices. It was claimed even after the report the indigenous individual still remained voiceless. It is until in 2008, when Kevin Rudd became the voice of all parties involved. After the apology statement the reaction was amazing since everybody felt that their views were represented. Kevin Rudd bridged the gap between acceptance and reconciliation between both parties of the population (Kahane, 2009). The apology statement is viewed as the first and most significant psychological step towards reconciliation. The apology statement by Kevin Rudd was aimed at reconciliation but gained more than that in Australia. Apart from reconciliation the apology statement shaped the Australian political front, changed the perception of the general public towards the indigenous people, it gave the indigenous individual a sense of belonging. The affected indigenous people came out in huge numbers to witness the historical event which changed their lives for the better. According to Leigh (2002) the indigenous population was for many years the most insignificant group in Australia. After the landmark event all that changed and the indigenous population was given the feeling that they also belonged to Australia and the whole of the nation appreciated their stay in the nation. Part of the witnessing crowd, were children who came to participate in the achieving of success in their lives. Prior to the announcement and the report, children suffered most from the difficulties the indigenous population faced. Children were denied their normal lives and subjected to forced labour (Robson, 2009). If there is a group which felt the significance of the report is the children and all indigenous individuals who spend their childhood away from their families. The apology to the stolen generation was a milestone event in Australia. It bridged the gap between the general population and the indigenous population. The apology statement changed the negative general perception of the indigenous population. This will undeniably be the most significant moment in the social and political picture of Australia. Global reaction after the apology statement also showed how much the world appreciated the move the Prime Minster (Marr, 2008). The world was also moved by the fact that human rights can be respected and appreciated by a whole nation. There is no doubt that Kevin Rudd and the apology to the stolen generation statement will be the most valued figures in Australia now and in the future. References Beecher, E., 2009. The Best Australian Political Writing 2009. Melbourne: Melbourne Univ. Publishing. Behrend, L., 2012. Indigenous Australia for Dummies. New York: John Wiley & Sons. Docker, J., Curthoys, A., & Peters-Little, F., 2010. Passionate Histories: Myth, Memory and Indigenous Australia. London: ANU E Press. Fejo-King, C., 2011. The National Apology to the Stolen Generations: The Ripple Effect. Australian Social Work, 64(1) March 2011, pp.130-143. Hanisch, M., 2011.The Stolen Generations: Critical Reflections on the Forced Removals of Semi-indigenous Children in Western Australia from 1900 Until Today. London: GRIN Verlag. Kahane, J., 2009. Deliberative Democracy in Practice. London: UBC Press. Leigh, A.K., 2002. Leadership and Aboriginal reconciliation. Australian Journal of Social Issues,37, pp.131–151. Marr, D., 2008. The Best Australian Essays 2008. New York: Black Inc. Robson, P., 2009. Great Australian Speeches. London: Pier 9. Sorry, Kevin Rudd's Apology to "The stolen Generation": 12 Feb 2008. [Video]. Available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3TZOGpG6cM. Read More