[LINK] Apology to the Aboriginal People by John Howard

[Tom Worthington]

There is no need for the Australian Government to compose a new 
apology to the Aboriginal people. A quick web search finds John 
Howard, issued one on 3 July 2000:

"Good evening. My name is John Howard and I'm speaking to you from 
Sydney, Australia, host city of the year 2000 Olympic Games. ...

At this important time, and in an atmosphere of international 
goodwill and national pride, we here in Australia - all of us - would 
like to make a statement before all nations. Australia, like many 
countries in the new world, is intensely proud of what it has 
achieved in the past 200 years. ...

However, these achievements have come at great cost. We have been 
here for 200 years but before that, there was a people living here. 
For 40,000 years they lived in a perfect balance with the land.  ...

I speak for all Australians in expressing a profound sorrow to the 
Aboriginal people. I am sorry. We are sorry. Let the world know and 
understand, that it is with this sorrow, that we as a nation will 
grow and seek a better, a fairer and a wiser future. Thank you."

John Howard, (the Actor), in the ABC TV comedy "The Games" 
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Games_%28television%29> July 3, 
2000, quoted at <http://parris.josh.com.au/humour/xeno/howard.htm>. ;-)



Tom Worthington FACS HLM tom.worthington at tomw.net.au Ph: 0419 496150
Director, Tomw Communications Pty Ltd            ABN: 17 088 714 309
PO Box 13, Belconnen ACT 2617                      http://www.tomw.net.au/
Adjunct Senior Lecturer, ANU