44. Kevin Rudd's SORRY SPEECH

VIDEO CLIP of the SORRY SPEECH

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1jeWeDpc68


TRANSCRIPT of THE SORRY SPEECH:

Kevin Rudd's sorry speech
The text of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's speech to Parliament.
I move:
That today we honour the indigenous peoples of this land, the oldest continuing cultures in human history.
We reflect on their past mistreatment.
We reflect in particular on the mistreatment of those who were stolen generations - this blemished chapter in our nation's history.
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 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families, their communities and their country.
For the pain, suffering and hurt of these stolen generations, their descendants and for their families left behind, we say sorry.
To the mothers and the fathers, the brothers and the sisters, for the breaking up of families and communities, we say sorry.
And for the indignity and degradation thus inflicted on a proud people and a proud culture, we say sorry.
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.
For the future we take heart; resolving that this new page in the history of our great continent can now be written.
We today take this first step by acknowledging the past and laying claim to a future that embraces all Australians.
A future where this parliament resolves that the injustices of the past must never, never happen again.
A future where we harness the determination of all Australians, indigenous and non-indigenous, to close the gap that lies between us in life expectancy, educational achievement and economic opportunity.
A future where we embrace the possibility of new solutions to enduring problems where old approaches have failed.
A future based on mutual respect, mutual resolve and mutual responsibility.
A future where all Australians, whatever their origins, are truly equal partners, with equal opportunities and with an equal stake in shaping the next chapter in the history of this great country, Australia.
There comes a time in the history of nations when their peoples must become fully reconciled to their past if they are to go forward with confidence to embrace their future.


LINK:
This is a link to the site where Rudd's speech appears. There are dozens of other resources on hat page - links, videos, resources of all kinds:

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/02/13/1202760379056.html



Here are some comments on the Sorry Speech written over the past few weeks.
WARNING
Many of these comments are offensive:


Look at her... At the left corner. Just choosing where to stab him in the back.
TheDubandTrance 1 day ago
why are half aborginals soo white in skin colour? is the white gene totally dominant or something
MrInception12 6 days ago

What exactly did Kev do to the aboriginals that he stole ? Did he hold them for ransom or did he sexualy abuse them ? And if there is no proof that Kev stole any aboriginals why was he not arrested and thrown in jail for making bogus confessions .
Call it parliamentary privilege . But anyone else making such outrageous claims would have been arrested for breaking the law .
LuluRosenkrantz 1 week ago

WHY because these comments
are being used in a study by the University...Sorry if you don't like them but you can click the close page tab it is in the top right corner. Just like you don't have to buy Playboy
srsjason 2 weeks ago
@TheShenmuemaniac your racism is ugly and represents only the ignorant, uneducated minority in this nation. You would do well to listen to Rudd's words about equality - you might learn something.

Aussies gathered together across the nation to watch this speech and to cheer with genuine pride. Then they booed and turned their backs when the leader of the opposition tried to excuse these past atrocities.
The postings below this video demonstrate that the job is not finished - sadly, there are still ignorant people who do not understand the long-term effects and entrenched disadvantage that were created by this past history, and that extra assistance will be needed for some time to come.
Australia can never be great because of it's past. No matter how much you dress up, decorate shit . It is still shit
@joshoscano, is that right? So you think Abos can do stuff? You think they can get am education and make money? Yes they can!, but there too fucking lazy. Why say sorry for something that happened long ago by other white people. I'm not sorry, I didn't do it. Basically they dont want to work or anything. There the most ugliest fucks on the planet anyway, so I say we should kick em off the cliffs and burn them as long as they continue to hate white people. They have no right to hate us, we saved

@TheShenmuemaniac U sad racist fuck wit of person. This is why our country looks bad. who ever gave birth to should of thrown you head first against a wall. I will sleep happy knowing that Kama will fuck u right up!