'Stolen generations'

Australia's government attempts to draw a line under the most blemished chapter in the country's history this week.

The newly elected government of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd will make an official apology to indigenous Australians on or soon after the first day of parliament in Canberra on Tuesday. The apology, which will be on behalf of the Parliament of Australia if, as is likely, it receives bipartisan support, will express sorrow to the 'stolen generations' of Aboriginal children forcibly removed from their families by Australian government agencies and church missions between approximately 1869 and -- officially --1969, allegedly under assimilation policies. The apology may be designed to heal old wounds rather than open new ones, but it will cause huge debate.

Scope and terms

The apology, drafted with extensive consultation from indigenous leaders, will include a commitment that parliament will act to ensure past wrongs are not repeated. This has provoked debate within the opposition Liberal Party, with some parliamentarians saying they still supported the removal of children at risk.

Opposition indigenous affairs spokesman Tony Abbott has criticised the lack of detail on the apology. "Precisely what we are apologising for and the terms and the scope of the apology, that is still far from clear," he said last week.

Compensation?

The apology will not include any commitment to provide compensation. This will not put the question of reparations to bed: some will point to the example of the island state of Tasmania, which has approved a A$5 million compensation fund for 106 'Stolen Generation' Aborigines taken from their families. It is estimated that about 13,000 people identify themselves as part of the Stolen Generation, or affected by the Stolen Generation. The number of first-generation stolen people is considerably less, perhaps as few as 400. "Seen in those terms, a compensation package directed straight to them does not look so frightening," writes Paul Toohey in The Australian.

Nevertheless, Rudd can use the opportunity to his advantage. A majority of Australians want his government to say sorry to the stolen generation, with young people particularly supportive. A Galaxy poll, commissioned by the GetUp! online group, reveals 55% of voters back an apology; around 36% oppose it. 

A cautious approach to the apology may assuage the anger of indigenous people, without stoking the resentment of white Australians who agree with the apology but do not want to be humiliated for a past beyond their control.