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.
Interpretation
This quote expresses a formal apology for the historical injustices faced by Indigenous Australians, particularly focusing on the removal of children from their families.
Kevin Rudd's quote serves as a powerful acknowledgment of the immense pain and suffering caused by government policies that led to the removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families. The apology highlights the need for recognition of past wrongs and the impact of these actions on communities, emphasizing a commitment to healing and reconciliation for a better future.
In practice
Opening a conference on reconciliation and acknowledgment of historical injustices.
As nations we should also commit afresh to righting past wrongs. In Australia we began this recently with the first Australians - the oldest continuing culture in human history. On behalf of the Australian Parliament, this year I offered an apology to indigenous Australians for the wrongs they had suffered in the past.
We are so fortunate, as Australians, to have among us the oldest continuing cultures in human history. Cultures that link our nation with deepest antiquity. We have Aboriginal rock art in the Kimberley that is as ancient as the great Palaeolithic cave paintings at Altamira and Lascaux in Europe.
I believe the greatest gift I can conceive of having from anyone is to be seen by them, heard by them, to be understood and touched by them.
A second wife is hateful to the children of the first; A viper is not more hateful.
Basically, men are afraid of women and can’t handle the fact that they came out of the same thing they spend the rest of their lives trying to get back into.
I have always believed that life is too short for rows and disagreements. Even if I think I'm right, I would prefer to apologize and remain friends rather than win and be an enemy.
I choose the likely man in preference to the rich man; I want a man without money rather than money without a man.
The moment someone asks you to do something you don't have the time or inclination to do is fraught with vulnerability.
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