I am so upset with the comments of many Australians on this issue. How is it that we are so willing to make/feel connections with ancestors when tracing family trees, and then so unwilling to accept responsibility when it comes to what our 'ancestors' were doing only two generations ago. We HAVE to say sorry as the starting point of a long process of repairing tens of decades of damage. Of course, I don't want it to end up with unaffected people claiming compensation for the sake of it, because we have enough people abusing saftey nets and benefits already. But how is it that we cannot learn from other countries like South Africa. It's time for Australia's Truth and Reconciliation Commission. We have to BEGIN to move forward at some point. Good on you Mr Rudd.

Sophie McIntosh, Wollongong, NSW, Australia

I'm aboriginal, (most would say 1/4 caste), 24 years old, full time job, own a car & saving to buy a house.
My mum was part of the stolen generation.
for me and my family it's not about the compo but about the apology for stealing our children, culture and identity.
I pity the narrowminded people that can't see beyond their own greediness and at least feel some sort of compassion for those hardships my ancestors were put through.

Lee, Cairns, Qld

I trained as a nurse in the 60ies at Mooroopna Hospital.
This is my experience with the indigenous population there.
They would on very regular occasions present their babies/ children to the emergency department with mild upper respiratory complaints They would be seen given medication for the symptoms.Then present the child days later with much worse symptoms ..(they had never been given the meds.) The children were admitted , bathed, clothed ,& fed properly and medicine given which ment they were fit within a few days. Authorities attempts to contact the parents were fruitless as they had gone "walkabout" then turn up days later collect the children and so the cycle went on and on .
Twins were brought in and their COMBINED WEIGHT was less than one of their birth weights. Utterly neglected
Most of those taken into care would not be here if such measures were not taken.
Say sorry to them, say sorry to all who were in Orpanages, and any children taken now from incapable parents.

Pamela Cameron, Leopold, Victoria

If i break my sisters leg, my next door neighbor cannot apologise to her for me, for he had nothing to do with it. He could say that he feels sorrow for her, or that he is saddened by her pain/loss/anger but he cannot formaly apologise for me because the incident does not fall on his shoulders. The events past are not our wrong doing, and so we have no need, nor right, to apologise for them. I feel sorry for them, but i myself am not sorry, what happened was wrong but was not todays generations wrong doing. life is simply to short to worry about what was or has been. I will not say forgive and forget, instead i ask for us to look to the future.

Zak, Templestowe,

An apology is one thing, compensation is another.
How dare one race criticize another's way of life?
Money, will hardly justify, the stealing of the country, from it's rightful citizens, the aboriginal people.
Anyone, can apologise after the deed is done!
Rudd, needs to be implementing a great deal more, than, this pitiful 'token' response.








Money will never compensate for the fact that the aborignal

prudence eely bond mcguire, London, England , UK.

The White Australia Policy and the Indiginous assimilation proceedure was a cruel and unfair to all concerned. I am pleased that Australia is apologising to these individuals affected by this horrible circumstance. However needless to say, I am a little worried about the consequences of the apology. I am eager for it to help heal the wounds of those affected, but am concerned about the hip-pocket effect of Australian society today whom are wholly against the policy in the first place.
But good on you Mr Rudd for having the guts to do this - I am sure you will go down in history for this.

Sam, London (originally Melbourne), VIC

Might I suggest that all roads, health care, clothing, money, technology, automoblies and any aspects of "racist "
White Western civilisation also be removed from all aboriginal areas.
Presuming Western civilisation is superior to what the aboriginals had before is also racist.
Might I also suggest a similar programme in Zimbabwe and South Africa.

Keith Bentham, Wigan, Lancashire

The Australian taxpayer pours hundreds of millions of dollars a year into services for the <500,000 Aboriginal and Torres Straits Islanders. For some facts visit this site: http://www.aph.gov.au/library/pubs/BN/2007-08/Cwlth_Indigenous_Expenditure.htm

One might observe that the population fluctuates in ways that do not correlate with births and deaths. apparently you can simply identify yourself as an aboriginal to be so considered; and hence qualify for benefits.

However, despite the spending, it is common cause that traditional and also aboriginal urban living is riddled with alcoholism child abuse,unemployment etc This has to be someone elses fault, of course. Enter the 'stolen' generation.

To my knowledge no acceptable proof exists that any significant numbers of children were removed from their families simply because they were black. Probing reveals it was to save the child from abuse or neglect

Please refute me with facts

William McGregor, Melbourne, Australia

Majority of the Aborgines are living in Third World conditions Now we have a Labor Government which feels very strongly that it is time to do something radical to improve their conditions in relation to health,education ,etc.. During the last decade ,a right wing "Liberal"Government spent all the time dismantling Aborginal Bodies and then underming their leaders .. There is no Aboriginal representation in the Federal Parliament.. The Labor Government has to educate the new immigrants from Europe and Asia in order that they could understand that the reactionary policies of the Australian Governments over two centuries was responsible for the plight of the Aborigines today. To start with the most important is to say "Sorry" to the stolen generation.This is being done by the Rudd Government and it should be follwed by a"Marshall plan " type operation in consultation with the Aboriginal people to eliminate poverty,provide health, education and training programmes

Bala Superamaniam, Sydney, Australia

Rudd and his government are showing true leadership here. A formal apology is but one (though significant) step on a long journey to reconcile the indigenous and non-indigenous peoples of Australia. I hope it is the start of better things to come for all Australians.

Bruce Rossel, Canberra, Australia

Nothing less than a independent state for the Aboriginal people is acceptable. They stole their land. Don't accept what they are doing to you. Fight for your land.

Alber Halmom, Panama City, Panama