Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

Madam Acting Deputy President, I seek your indulgence. One of the matters that I think is worth while putting on the record is this: I do thank the Senate for agreeing to the way the debate proceeded today. It is important to have the Senate support the process that has been undertaken today. This motion gives the Senate the ability to speak on the national apology to the stolen generations. This motion ensures that today the stolen generations receive an apology from both houses of parliament. I do thank the Senate for agreeing to the procedures to ensure that people can speak on the debate today. It is the right thing to have the motion moved and passed today by both the House and the Senate. The Australian people do want this parliament to collectively apologise. Senators who want to speak on this motion, like me, will be able to do so and can be assured that the time will be available to them. To prevent myself from falling into the difficulty of having to speak twice on the motion, I wanted to take the opportunity—and I thank Senator Kirk for allowing me to undertake this today—to ensure that the motion did receive its proper place and could be debated today.

It is with great privilege that I speak in this chamber on this historic day, when the Australian government and the Australian parliament formally apologise to the stolen generations and to Indigenous Australians for the wrongs of the past. We are sorry for the pain and suffering that past policies brought to Indigenous Australians. We are sorry for the forced separation of children from their families and communities. We are sorry for the indignity and harm that this brought to those forcibly taken and to those left behind to grieve. I do not pretend to understand the pain and suffering inflicted on tens of thousands of Indigenous Australians who were forcibly removed from their families, their communities and their culture. I do not pretend to know the pain of those who were forced to live their lives in these unjustifiable circumstances. But, as a parent, I do know the importance of a family and of living a life filled with love and support within that family. I am proud that the Australian parliament is now apologising for the forced separation of Indigenous families and the significant and ongoing challenges that have resulted. To the individuals, families and communities that have been affected by the past policies, I can only commend the apology articulated by the Prime Minister this morning. I add my voice to that genuine and unreserved apology in the nature of reconciliation in which it was offered. The apology today provides a unique opportunity for the Australian people and the Australian government to move forward with a sense of common purpose. The parliament should not allow this moment to pass as a missed opportunity.

The importance of today needs to be backed up with meaningful, practical and effective action from the government. The Department of Human Services, for which I am responsible, can participate in a very real way in addressing the practical challenges still facing our community. The department can play an important role as the key service provider in the national effort to address the serious issues still facing many Indigenous communities. I would like to take a moment to commend the hard work and genuine effort of staff members of Centrelink and the Department of Human Services. They are dedicated public servants who are tasked with the front-line effort to work with Indigenous communities to address the serious challenges we still face. I hope that today’s apology will help the department to further our mutual respect for Indigenous Australians. This is an important day for the Australian parliament, and it is an important step that we have taken today. It has been a long hard road to get here and there is more work to be done. Let us work together in the spirit of reconciliation and mutual respect to meet the challenges that continue to face our community. Let us harness the great spirit of today to work for real improvement in the lives and conditions of Indigenous Australians. We owe it to those who have suffered in the past. We owe nothing less to the generations to come.