The Mabo Decision
Since 1918, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders (ATSI) have achieved a great deal of change in both political and social ways, though it was not without struggle. Many of these achievements are derived from several events, such as the Mabo Decision which was the long battle that lead to the recognition of Aboriginal land rights. Other events also contributed, such as the long process of reconciling the relationships between ATSI peoples and Australians, the Bringing Them Home Report which helped lead to the Apology. All of these events are important in Aboriginal culture as they all inspired change in the Australian community.
The Mabo Decision was the goal to overturn the idea of Terra Nullius so that Aboriginal peoples would be recognised …show more content…
“This report is a tribute to the strength and struggles of many thousands of ATSI people affected by forcible removal. We acknowledge the hardships they endured and the sacrifices they made. We remember and lament all the children who will never come home.” This quote clearly describes the reasoning of The Bringing Them Home Report, which acknowledges the hardships that the children from the Stolen Generation and their families went through. The document lead to a national understanding of the physical and mental trauma that many from the Stolen Generation went through, many of the effects being life-long. “Why me, why was I taken? Its like a hole in you heart that can never heal.” (Page 177 in The Bringing Them Home Report). Using quotes like these further deepened the impact of the document. This also resulted in a national ‘Sorry Day’, a day on the 26th of May held “to commemorate the history of forcible removals and its effects.” In addition to this, the Stolen Generation got reconnected with their families and later received written apologies from each state and territory and apology in the form …show more content…
However, the initial announcement of the apology caused a split in the Liberal party, as some believed that it would create a guilty culture in Australia. Yet, Judi Moylan, who was the former Liberal Minister, said “I think as a nation we owe an apology. We shouldn't be thinking about it as an individual apology — it's an apology that is coming from the nation state because it was governments that did these things.” The apology was then considered necessary. At 9:30 on the day of the speech, Kevin Rudd began the apology. “...The time has now come for the nation to turn a new page in Australia's history by righting the wrongs of the past and so moving forward with confidence to the future. We apologise for the laws and policies of successive parliaments and governments that have inflicted profound grief, suffering and loss on these our fellow Australians. We apologise especially for the removal of ATSI children from their families, their communities and their country...We the parliament of Australia respectfully request that this apology be received in the spirit in which it is offered as part of the healing of the nation….” The speech was a significant moment in ATSI peoples lives, as, according the to The Bringing Them Home Report, this was the first step to healing and was largely symbolic and important in ATSI
The Mabo Decision was the goal to overturn the idea of Terra Nullius so that Aboriginal peoples would be recognised …show more content…
“This report is a tribute to the strength and struggles of many thousands of ATSI people affected by forcible removal. We acknowledge the hardships they endured and the sacrifices they made. We remember and lament all the children who will never come home.” This quote clearly describes the reasoning of The Bringing Them Home Report, which acknowledges the hardships that the children from the Stolen Generation and their families went through. The document lead to a national understanding of the physical and mental trauma that many from the Stolen Generation went through, many of the effects being life-long. “Why me, why was I taken? Its like a hole in you heart that can never heal.” (Page 177 in The Bringing Them Home Report). Using quotes like these further deepened the impact of the document. This also resulted in a national ‘Sorry Day’, a day on the 26th of May held “to commemorate the history of forcible removals and its effects.” In addition to this, the Stolen Generation got reconnected with their families and later received written apologies from each state and territory and apology in the form …show more content…
However, the initial announcement of the apology caused a split in the Liberal party, as some believed that it would create a guilty culture in Australia. Yet, Judi Moylan, who was the former Liberal Minister, said “I think as a nation we owe an apology. We shouldn't be thinking about it as an individual apology — it's an apology that is coming from the nation state because it was governments that did these things.” The apology was then considered necessary. At 9:30 on the day of the speech, Kevin Rudd began the apology. “...The time has now come for the nation to turn a new page in Australia's history by righting the wrongs of the past and so moving forward with confidence to the future. We apologise for the laws and policies of successive parliaments and governments that have inflicted profound grief, suffering and loss on these our fellow Australians. We apologise especially for the removal of ATSI children from their families, their communities and their country...We the parliament of Australia respectfully request that this apology be received in the spirit in which it is offered as part of the healing of the nation….” The speech was a significant moment in ATSI peoples lives, as, according the to The Bringing Them Home Report, this was the first step to healing and was largely symbolic and important in ATSI