"Sorry"

Canberra Saturday 16th February:

On Valentines Day, I wrote a hopeful piece that tried to look at the future of community relations in this country between the indigenous and non indigenous inhabitants.

I have taken the liberty of referring my readers to a cartoon by Moir, entitled "And now - moving right along" which in its own sardonic way, demonstrates the level of cynicism that no doubt still permeates at least some levels of Australian society about indigenous matters.

I sincerely hope that it is just that, a cynical look at what for me at least has been a very memorable and historic occasion.

During the late 1960's and 1970's when I was at University and my social conscience finally began to be educated, a time when Nelson Mandella was still incarcerated and South Africa was still a bastion for racist apartheid policies and behaviours, I have to admit that I was ashamed that many of the ideas that seemed to have taken hold in that country, according to the reading I was being shown, were most likely exported there from Queensland, an Australian State which created and implemented the Aboriginals Protection and Restriction of the Sale of Opium Act 1897 in the last century.

The Queensland Parliament consistently presented Aboriginal families with oppressive legislation until the early 1970s, when it began to formally disband apartheid by means of new legislation, for example, the Aborigines Act 1971.

It took a Labor Federal Government under the leadership of Gough Whitlam to implement the International Convention for the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, through the enactment of the Racial Discrimination Act 1975.

An act that started the process that culminated the other day with the issue of an apology and the use of that now famous word "sorry" by the leader of yet another Labor Federal Government, ironically, a Queensland representative, the current Prime Minister of Australia, Kevin Rudd.

Whatever cynical remarks one might wish to make about the level of bi-partisan support for this apology, it is interesting to note that way back in the 1970's, Mr Whitlam's successor and possibly bitterest political enemy at the time, Malcolm Fraser, a man who has been been less than favourably presented to history for his methods of unseating the Whitlam government, can also be remembered for his achievements on race issues, ranging from passing Northern Territory lands rights legislation - still the most advantageous to Aborigines in the nation - to his commitment to abolishing apartheid in South Africa.

People who wish to read about Mr Fraser's actions in this regard could do worse than to read a review of a lecture he gave (the fifth annual Vincent Lingiari Memorial Lecture) by Margo Kingston in the Sydney Morning Herald on August 25, 2000.

What a pity then to read from the ABC that:

The Central Land Council says the former Indigenous affairs minister, Mal Brough, should not be a member of the new bipartisan commission announced by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd on Wednesday.

Mr Rudd and Opposition Leader Brendan Nelson are co-chairing the commission, which will look at Indigenous housing in remote areas as its first task.

Dr Nelson has asked Mr Rudd to include Mr Brough on the commission because of his experience as Minister.

But the Central Land Council's director, David Ross, says that would be provocative and put the entire process in jeopardy.

"I don't think Aboriginal people would be too happy about having Mr Brough as a part of this committee, especially if they had to deal with him," he said.

"He's not the sort of man that would communicate with Aboriginal people.

"He was more interested in dictating to Aboriginal people about why they should and should not do rather than consulting with people."

I sincerely hope that Mr Moir is not correct and that his cartoon does NOT represent the future reality of either race relations or reconciliation in this country.

We really do NOT need another 30 + years of struggle and bitterness, what we need is resolution of that bitterness and a way of 'moving on' that does not run over Australians, whatever their colour, their ethnic background or creed.