Therefore we must also be the bearers of their burdens.
This morning I went to Elder Park with my family and about 2000 other people to watch PM Rudd deliver his momentous apology to the stolen generations. The feelings of joy, sadness and relief were palpable in the crowd. It was a long-awaited day and I feel privileged to have been there.
Rudd's speech was a triumph in statesmanship, honestly: eloquent, poetic, moving, measured, occasionally wittily scathing, and often simple, practical, bare-bones truth. Powerful stuff powerfully delivered, especially when he related the story of a Nanna Fejo, indigenous elder of his acquaintance. I was surprised and pleased by the length of his speech, its import and the amount of practical goal-setting he included, and the inclusion of a rebuttal of arguments against an apology. It was very inspiring, perhaps the best Australian political speech since Keating's Redfern Address. You can see it in its entirety here or read it here. Everyone in the park stood up and gave him a standing ovation at the end, and we were cheering and clapping intermittently throughout. There was a wonderful feeling of unity and strength and happiness.
And then Brendan bloody Nelson had to give his reply and for the first couple of minutes it seemed promising, but then it descended into inappropriate, offensive bullshit. A lot of people in the park left; others booed when he made particularly large gaffes. Such as likening the "good intentions" of those who forcibly removed children from their parents in order to breed away the "aboriginal problem" to the current intervention in the Northern Territory. Where Rudd related the story of Nanna Frejo, Nelson chose to list some of the more horrific and tragic rapes and deaths of recent times. Where Rudd was speaking to the nation in an attempt to unite and overcome, Nelson was speaking to his conflicted, fractured party in an attempt to whitewash the apology to fit in with the racist, divisive policies of the Howard government. It was jaw-droppingly awful.
Bumface and I also went to the South Australian parliament to hear the Premier deliver a similar speech of rather lesser stature and import, although Rann's history as former minister of Indigenous Affairs provided some moving and appropriate anecdotes, and the reply by the leader of the opposition finished really powerfully. But the gallery was full -- priority seating given to members of the stolen generations and elders, of course -- so we sat in a posh room upstairs and just listened. Nice biscuits!
( An excerpt from Rudd's speech. )
This morning I went to Elder Park with my family and about 2000 other people to watch PM Rudd deliver his momentous apology to the stolen generations. The feelings of joy, sadness and relief were palpable in the crowd. It was a long-awaited day and I feel privileged to have been there.
Rudd's speech was a triumph in statesmanship, honestly: eloquent, poetic, moving, measured, occasionally wittily scathing, and often simple, practical, bare-bones truth. Powerful stuff powerfully delivered, especially when he related the story of a Nanna Fejo, indigenous elder of his acquaintance. I was surprised and pleased by the length of his speech, its import and the amount of practical goal-setting he included, and the inclusion of a rebuttal of arguments against an apology. It was very inspiring, perhaps the best Australian political speech since Keating's Redfern Address. You can see it in its entirety here or read it here. Everyone in the park stood up and gave him a standing ovation at the end, and we were cheering and clapping intermittently throughout. There was a wonderful feeling of unity and strength and happiness.
And then Brendan bloody Nelson had to give his reply and for the first couple of minutes it seemed promising, but then it descended into inappropriate, offensive bullshit. A lot of people in the park left; others booed when he made particularly large gaffes. Such as likening the "good intentions" of those who forcibly removed children from their parents in order to breed away the "aboriginal problem" to the current intervention in the Northern Territory. Where Rudd related the story of Nanna Frejo, Nelson chose to list some of the more horrific and tragic rapes and deaths of recent times. Where Rudd was speaking to the nation in an attempt to unite and overcome, Nelson was speaking to his conflicted, fractured party in an attempt to whitewash the apology to fit in with the racist, divisive policies of the Howard government. It was jaw-droppingly awful.
Bumface and I also went to the South Australian parliament to hear the Premier deliver a similar speech of rather lesser stature and import, although Rann's history as former minister of Indigenous Affairs provided some moving and appropriate anecdotes, and the reply by the leader of the opposition finished really powerfully. But the gallery was full -- priority seating given to members of the stolen generations and elders, of course -- so we sat in a posh room upstairs and just listened. Nice biscuits!
( An excerpt from Rudd's speech. )
Jesus Christ, FUCKING FINALLY. I heard on the radio that even the Libs are turning around and realising that their previous policy has been completely inadequate. The shadow for indigenous affairs even wants it to be a joint apology!
Nice timing, considering the frustrating debate going on over at Andrew G's blog (oh, shut up. You'd go him).
Nice timing, considering the frustrating debate going on over at Andrew G's blog (oh, shut up. You'd go him).
