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Kevin Rudd's Apology To Indigenous Australians

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For over 200 years, Indigenous Australians have been subject to racial discrimination. Former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s apology to Indigenous Australians was meant to be a stepping stone towards reconciliation. Rudd’s apology has since become part of Australia’s history, however, not everybody accepted the apology, while improvement of Indigenous livelihoods is debateable. This essay will argue that Kevin Rudd’s speech positively affected the livelihoods of Indigenous people.
In 2008, on the 13th of February, former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd delivered an apology to Australia’s Indigenous people. This speech was delivered in the Parliament of Australia. In his speech Rudd (2008, para. 6 & 7) reflected on the ‘past mistreatment’ of Indigenous people in Australia, while also acknowledging that this mistreatment was a ‘blemished chapter in our nation’s history’. Rudd’s speech focused on apologizing to members of the Stolen Generations, conscious of aging members, Rudd acknowledged that it was time to make amends (SBS 2015). Burgess, Klaebe and McWilliam (2010, p. 155) affirm the apology was a major national event - broadcasted …show more content…
Widely recognized member of the Stolen Generations singer-songwriter Archie Roach (2008, para. 8) said the apology ‘brings a new start in life for us’. Australian Aboriginal elder and once Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Dr Tom Calma (2008, para. 88) also welcomed Rudd’s apology, saying ‘Parliament has now laid the foundations for healing to take place”. However, Bielefeld (2014) argues that Rudd’s apology didn’t change or reform the ‘colonial power structure’ that continues to support racial discrimination against Indigenous people. If Indigenous Australians remain disempowered one must ask themselves if the Rudd’s apology was merely symbolic and not a call to

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