Australia apologises for mistreating Aborigines

CANBERRA (Reuters) - Australia apologised on Wednesday forthe historic mistreatment of Aborigines in a move indigenousleaders said would help end generations of pain.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd told parliament that pastpolicies of assimilation, under which aboriginal children weretaken from their families to be brought up in white households,were a stain on the nation's soul.

"Today, the parliament has come together to right a greatwrong," Rudd said.

"We apologise for the laws and policies of successiveparliaments and governments that have inflicted profound grief,suffering and loss on these our fellow Australians."

The parliamentary apology comes 11 years after a majorreport into past assimilation policies found between one inthree and one in 10 aboriginal children had been taken fromtheir families between 1910 and 1970.

The report urged a national apology to those affected,known as the Stolen Generations, but the then conservativegovernment under prime minister John Howard rejected thefinding and offered only a statement of regret.

But Rudd made the apology the first item of parliamentarybusiness for his centre-left Labor government, which won powerin November last year, ending almost 12 years of conservativerule.

About 100 members of the Stolen Generations were inparliament to hear the government apologise, some wiping awaytears as Rudd spoke, while thousands of people gathered on thelawns outside to watch the parliamentary debate on gianttelevision screens.

Others assembled at squares and schools around the countryto watch the speech, which Australians expect to open a new eraof reconciliation between indigenous and other Australians.

DIVISIVE ISSUE

The crowds outside, and about 1,000 people in the publicgalleries in parliament, gave Rudd a standing ovation for hisspeech, which was broadcast live around Australia. Rudd huggedmembers of the Stolen Generations watching from the floor.

Howard, who lost his seat at the last election, was not inparliament for the apology, but all of Australia's other livingformer prime ministers, conservative Malcolm Fraser and Labor'sPaul Keating, Bob Hawke and Gough Whitlam, were in thegalleries.

The issue has divided the conservative Liberal Party, butthe apology had bipartisan support with new opposition leaderBrendan Nelson offering his backing.

Rudd told lawmakers the apology was part of Australia'sunfinished business.

"As of today the time for denial, the time for delay, hasat last come to an end," he said.

He called for reconciliation "across the entire history ofthe often bloody encounter between those emerged from thedreamtime 1,000 generations ago and those who, like me, cameacross the seas only yesterday."

Australia has about 460,000 indigenous Aborigines andTorres Strait Islanders, who make up about 2 percent of the 21million population. There are no aboriginal members in thenational parliament.

Aborigines are the most disadvantaged group in Australia,with a life expectancy 17 years less than other Australians,and far higher rates of infant mortality, unemployment,imprisonment, alcohol and drug abuse and domestic violence.

Rudd has promised to end the gap in life expectancy withina generation, and to end aboriginal inequality.

(Additional reporting by Rob Taylor; Editing by DavidFgoarty)