Thursday 29th May 1997
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There is no doubt that what happened was wrong - but why was their plight treated any differently to that of the forgotten "stolen white generations" - where exactly the same fate was cast upon thousands of white children from England during the 1930s and 1940s except they were shipped all the way to Australia.
The "white" stolen children have been the subject of no such report, no such apology. In fact a large number were flown back home yesterday to meet with their families - families who they have not seen for 50 years, families they never knew existed until recent years.
The difference in the repsonse between the two groups is marked. Whereas the Aboriginal victims are now calling for compensation and another cause for "reconciliation" has been cast into the ring - the "stolen white children" have forgiven the sins of the past and are now rejoicing in the knowledge that they have found their roots.
The result in Parliament yesterday was a great piece of acting by Kim Beazley, the leader of the Labor opposition, who worked up a flood of tears when saying this about the plight of the Aboriginal stolen generation, "For those things that we are responsible for, I apologise as leader of the Australian Labor Party. This is a terrible record, a terrible, terrible record."
Beazley went on to say that the Australian Federal Government should not walk away from the Aborigines involved but that they should be compensated - something that Prime Minister John Howard has refused to entertain.
Pauline Hanson's One Nation Official home page.Just 90 minutes later after being called into the "headmaster's" office (Howard) he returned to the Senate and apologised saying, "I regard all Australians irrespective of their race or ethnic background as completely equal.
"Any views to the contrary which I might have expressed in the past, I no longer hold."
Dear Sir,
Again, I have to emphasize that I am not an Australian. I write to find out more about the Australian opinion.
In reply to "I wouldn't buy it" (28/5/97), I am very puzzled at the way how "patriotism" is defined in the Australian context. I lived in Australia for 6 years, and have a lot of Australian Chinese siblings. Though some of them were born aboard and migrated to Australia, they are nonetheless very "patriotic" in my eyes and by whatever standards. They claim themselves to be Australians, speak fair dinkum Aussie slangs, work diligently in their work places (in big firms like BHP), are proud of being Australian citizens, and, of course, honest tax payers and good citizens. If that does not prove that they are loyal Australians, then there must be a very unique Australian way of defining patriotism. I wonder what can that be?
Concerning situation in US, I lived in Washington DC for some 5 years. There are huge number of American born Chinese who are emotionally and physically inseparable from their home land - USA, not China! I can assure you that they never have the slightest intention to return to China, or to build an outpost of China in US, but they represent the finest, law-abiding, loyal citizens in the country. I call them Yanks, not Chinese. So why putting the Mexicans in the limelight, alleging that they want to break California from US? Why concluding there are no good guys in Australia besides the true blue white Aussies? Have you talked to Mr Choi (whom I have no knowledge of) and found out exactly what an Australian citizen he is?
I'd like to see how Mr. Choi is being accepted or rejected by the Australian public in this editorial section.
Regards.
Sincerely,
Dr Wan Kai Tak, Singapore.
Editor
What are your views?
Subject: Comments on Australian News of the Day
OUR GUILT
it is not our guilt that PLH should feel sorry about.
it is how to right the wrongs that were done. our generation is
resposible for what happened in the past because it still affects people
today. What is our generation, people under 80? taking of the children
only stopped 30 years ago so it is very obvious those actions r still
being felt today. So take we must responsiblity for those actions made
so recently by government. PLH talks of truth & fair play let's hope
she sticks by these high ideals and sees that the stolen children
receive fair play.
regards graeme rose
Dear Sir
All non-indigenous people living in Australia have benefitted by the
dispossession of Aboriginal peoples. My family did not arrive in
Australia until relatively recently and yet they too have benefitted.
Long before Europeans came to this country, Aboriginal peoples lived
and prospered here. The first European settlers in Australia took
their land and resources by force and trickery, and as a result, 200
years later we have inherited one of the highest standards of living
in the world. Of course, this standard of living is a result of the
hard work of those original settlers and subsequant immigrants, but it
is based on the dispossession of the Aborigines. Without that
dispossession there would be no Australia as we know it. During that
same time, the Aboriginal peoples have been murdered, raped, poisoned,
and had their children forcibly removed. They now enjoy one of the
lowest standards of living and levels of health anywhere in the world.
It is our collective shame that this could be the case. Now I can see
why people today feel threatened by what is going on in the courts at
the moment. Their livelihoods are at stake. But it is the soul of
Australia which is at peril here. For this reason we must all come to
understand the terrible things that have been done to Aborigines, not
by us personally, but by those people from whom we have inherited this
country.We must all make sacrifices - some symbollic, some financial -
and these must be equally shared by all those that have benefitted by
Aboriginal dispossession, not just the farmers. I think Jason, if you
spent some more time learning about the history of the encounter
between Aborigines and European Australians you might understand
something of the pain and trauma they have suffered. Then you might
not be so angry when multi-national companies have to share some of
their immense profits and tourists have to show a bit of respect for
local customs.
Regards, Ralph
PS You can walk on Uluru but the local
community discourage it.
Subject: Launch of Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party
You sir are a cad and a bounder, how I yearn for the time past when I
could have called you out over your statements. For I fear that your
physignomy is ill suited to the noble art of fencing, thus allowing me
to demonstrate for you the colour of viscera.
As it is, I will simply say that you and your have no place in polite
society.
Dr Finn.
Commonwealth Bank's general manager, Alf Long, said, "We are serious about providing the best range of competitive home loans for all Australian families.
"No one can match the Commonwealth Bank's package in terms of network access, security, price, choice and full service banking."
Chairman of selectors, Rod Marsh, (in Australia) said that he might have to make the decision for the selectors and call for Taylor to be dropped from the side as "no matter how good a captain he is you cannot win matches with effectively ten men playing eleven".
Today the jetty arrives for the grassy landing that we installed on the banks of the Brisbane river earlier this month.
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