February 4, 2008

Uniting Church welcomes apology

The Uniting Church in Australia and the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress (UAICC) have today congratulated the Federal Government on its planned formal apology to members of the Stolen Generations.

A formal apology was made to Australia's Indigenous people by the Uniting Church more than a decade ago.

The President of the Uniting Church, the Rev. Gregor Henderson, said the Christian view of confession was a recognition of wrongdoing.

"We take confession to mean that what has been done is not in accordance with the hopes and possibilities that God has for us," Mr Henderson said.

"Confession is both an acknowledgement of this and an expression of resolve to live, by the grace of God, differently in the future.

"Our partnership and covenanting agreement with the UAICC is one way in which we have demonstrated our resolve to walk alongside our Aboriginal and Islander brothers and sisters; to seek forgiveness and reparations.

"The Government's apology to the Stolen Generations marks the beginning of a sense of renewal and we hope it will be backed up with practical measures for better outcomes for Indigenous Australians."

The Rev. Shayne Blackman, National Administrator of the UAICC, said the church and the UAICC had a longstanding view about the need for the Australian Government to say sorry.

"The proposed formal apology from the Government is greatly welcomed by UAICC members," Mr Blackman said.

"However, we believe that true repentance involves both an apology and a change of attitude and we hope the Government takes further action to clearly demonstrate its commitment to the apology, such as tailored indigenous programs and opportunities for socio-economic equality.

"As a first step, the apology will be an historic moment for Australia, and we hope to see a framework put in place, following the lead of countries like Canada and New Zealand where rights-based approaches have been successfully implemented."

Practical outcomes sought

UAICC welcomed the Government’s impending apology to the Stolen Generation, but said its significance would also be based on practical outcomes.

Mr Blackman said he commended the Government for taking this historic step which he hoped would result in healing and greater collaboration in working to close the disadvantage experienced by Indigenous people.

“The word ‘sorry’ holds special significance in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture as it goes beyond admitting wrongdoing to helping restore respect, healing and a commitment to doing things differently in the future,” Mr Blackman said.

“An apology from the Government for the mistakes of the past is an important symbolic step towards building bridges toward equality and understanding; however these need to be built upon policies and programs that will truly restore equality to the lives of Aboriginal and Islander people.

“The reality of Australia’s stolen generation is not a thing of the distance past as up until 1969 Indigenous children were still being removed from their parents by the Government and their collaborators.

“This has meant for many, a complete loss of connection to family, traditional culture, identity and language which has resulted in life-long and disabling consequences such as psychological trauma, depression and emotional suffering.

“This fallout from this dire legacy has contributed to appalling facts such as the 17 year life expectancy gap between indigenous and non-indigenous children and affirms the need to work collaboratively to restore equality, healing and justice to Australia’s first people.

“There can be no better expression of an apology for the mistakes of the past by a commitment to programs and policies that truly deliver on our lifelong hopes and dreams for the future."