Look, I can understand why the Tent Embassy was established all those years ago. I think a lot has changed for the better since then. We had the historic apology just a few years ago, one of the genuine achievements of Kevin Rudd as Prime Minister. We had the proposal which is currently for national consideration to recognise indigenous people in the Constitution. I think the indigenous people of Australia can be very proud of the respect in which they are held by every Australian and yes, I think a lot has changed since then and I think it probably is time to move on from that.

~ Tony Abbott, 26 January 2012, Sydney Opera House

I seldom agree with anything that Tony Abbott has to say, but on this point I do agree. How can we move forward as a nation towards achieving true reconciliation if some are unable to move on from the wrongdoings of the past.

And before I get bombarded with a barrage of abuse, allow me to clarify my position. I have absolutely no doubt that Australia’s indigenous population has been treated badly during the last 200 years.  I do not dispute the history of murders, rapes, stolen children, displacement nor the sense of “invasion” that it must’ve seemed like in the years following 1788.

I am sympathetic to the cultural connection that Aboriginal Australians have with the land, and the sense of injustice that displacement and marginalisation has caused along with the associated social problems and racial discrimination that ensued.

I am also cognisant that a vast majority of Australians want to see an end to this disenfranchisement and to realise true reconciliation with Australia’s first people.

To this end, four years ago, the Prime Minister Kevin Rudd delivered a historic address to the nation, finally, after years of growing public demand, the nation’s leader presented an apology to Indigenous Australians as a motion to be voted on by the house.

The form of the apology was as follows:

Today we honour the Indigenous peoples of this land, the oldest continuing cultures in human history.

We reflect on their past mistreatment.

We reflect in particular on the mistreatment of those who were Stolen Generations – this blemished chapter in our national history.

The time has now come for the nation to turn a new page, a new page in Australia’s history by righting the wrongs of the past and so moving forward with confidence to the future.

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

We apologise especially for the removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families, their communities and their country.

For the pain, suffering and hurt of these Stolen Generations, their descendants and for their families left behind, we say sorry.

To the mothers and the fathers, the brothers and the sisters, for the breaking up of families and communities, we say sorry.

And for the indignity and degradation thus inflicted on a proud people and a proud culture, we say sorry.

We the Parliament of Australia respectfully request that this apology be received in the spirit in which it is offered as part of the healing of the nation.

For the future we take heart; resolving that this new page in the history of our great continent can now be written.

We today take this first step by acknowledging the past and laying claim to a future that embraces all Australians.

A future where this Parliament resolves that the injustices of the past must never, never happen again.

A future where we harness the determination of all Australians, Indigenous and non-Indigenous, to close the gap that lies between us in life expectancy, educational achievement and economic opportunity.

A future where we embrace the possibility of new solutions to enduring problems where old approaches have failed.

A future based on mutual respect, mutual resolve and mutual responsibility.

A future where all Australians, whatever their origins, are truly equal partners, with equal opportunities and with an equal stake in shaping the next chapter in the history of this great country, Australia.

Mr Rudd followed the apology with a 20-minute speech to the house about the need for the apology, which was widely applauded among both Indigenous Australians and the non-indigenous general public.

Then Leader of the Opposition Brendan Nelson also delivered a 20-minute speech in which he endorsed the apology, after which the House of Representatives unanimously adopted the proposed motion.

It would be fair to say that many Australians indigenous and non-indigenous alike, felt a great sense of achievement. Finally progress was being made.

Preceding this historical event, eight years earlier on May 28, 2000, more than 300,000 people walked across the Sydney Harbour Bridge in support of Indigenous Australians and reconciliation. Held the day after Corroboree 2000, the walk attracted Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and other Australians of all ages and from many different backgrounds including politicians, public figures, families and members of the Stolen Generation, who streamed across the Harbour Bridge for five hours.

The ‘mass mobilisation’ in Sydney was quickly followed by walks in other capital cities, and towns, involving almost a million people in total around the country. In Brisbane more than 60,000 people crossed William Jolly Bridge, 55,000 filled the heart of Adelaide when they walked over King William Street Bridge and in Canberra, people braved snow and sleet to cross Commonwealth Bridge. Walks were later held through the streets of Melbourne and Perth in December—with another 300,000 people taking part to support the reconciliation movement.

Prior to this mass groundswell in support for reconciliation, two years earlier the first National “Sorry Day” was held on May 26, 1998; one year after the tabling of a report about the removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families.

The report, known as Bringing Them Home, acknowledged that Indigenous children were forcibly separated from their families and communities since the early days of European occupation in Australia. Governments and missionaries were responsible for this forced separation.

There can be no denying the immense support and send of goodwill amongst Australians indigenous and non-indigenous alike to strive towards a process of reconciliation.

No one can change what has happened in the past.

True reconciliation requires an ability, and a willingness to look forward to a vision of the future.

Those that are incapable of moving on from the injustices of the past will simply be tortured by them. Traversing the difficult path of reconciliation requires an ability to let go of the past.

Clinging to the injustices of years gone by prevents progress from being made, and merely dooms the prospect of any chance to reconciliation to failure.

I recall at the time of the inaugural “Sorry Day” many of my fair skinned compatriots expressed some concern that they personally had done nothing wrong, so what was there to apologise for.

It’s a legitimate point of view.

Should present day generations of German teenagers be compelled to apologise to Jewish teenagers for the wrong-doings of Hitler?

Many Australians were prepared to acknowledge the wrong-doings of past generations but felt that it was insincere to offer an apology for something that they were not associated with.

This is a point of view that should be dismissed, and it is perhaps a testament to the good will of Australians that so many supported Sorry Day and the 2008 apology nonetheless.

It would be fair to say, that I have been disappointed by the behaviour of the rowdy mob of protesters that descended on The Lobby restaurant on Australia Day.

In their defence, many people explain that “you don’t know what it’s like to be Aboriginal,” and that is a very valid claim.

However to be disenfranchised from society, to be part of a marginalized minority, to be treated like second class citizens and disadvantaged is not the exclusive domain of indigenous Australians.

As I said on the Australia Day thread, somewhat dismissively, “everyone has a hard luck story,” and I stand by that statement.

People who want to improve their situation and future prospects, regardless of how they found themselves in a dire predicament have two options.

They can either take it upon themselves to improve their lot and access the various resources that are available to assist them, or they can wallow in self-pity and blame everyone else for their “bad luck”.

The former approach takes, courage, discipline and hard work, the latter is often an easier path.

For generations, asylum seekers have reached these shores with nothing, with poor or no English language skills, yet have managed to work within the limitations of the resources available to them to build a new life with a positive future.

During the course of the last twenty years, we have witnessed a tremendous display of goodwill on behalf of most Australians to work towards reconciliation in this country, however this requires a sense of goodwill and partnership from everyone concerned.

Those that are consumed with bitterness and resentment threaten this process and the likelihood of real reconciliation ever becoming a reality.

Furthermore voters remain suspicious of the once faceless union powerbroker Bill Shorten who has been groomed as a potential successor to Ms Gillard should the incumbent PM’s popularity fail to clamour from its abysmal approval ratings this year.

The former prime minister leads Julia Gillard by 52 per cent to 30 per cent in a Galaxy poll conducted for News Limited.

In a similar poll conducted last October, Kevin Rudd was also well ahead, 53 per cent to 29 per cent, and in September, 60 per cent to 26 per cent.

Despite investing in a couple of new suits and shirts with double cuffs and cufflinks Bill Shorten remains a distant favourite with just 14 per cent backing.

The next election is due in the latter half of 2013.

Hello,

Good afternoon and welcome to another weekend gab fest..!

And what a dramatic week it’s been!

As has been widely reported, while most of us were all enjoying a snag and a tinnie, the Prime Minister Julia Gillard spent Australia Day being unceremoniously dragged from an official Australia Day event in Canberra after the venue was stormed by Aboriginal activists from the nearby “Tent Embassy.”

Many, including the dementia club, have laid the blame firmly at the feet of Tony Abbott, however if you have actually watch the footage that was supposedly the spark that ignited the furore it is clear his remarks were harmless. 

In fact, in the same footage he calls Kevin Rudd’s 2008 apology to indigenous Australians a “great achievement” of the Rudd Labor Government.

And as TB Queensland points out, Tony Abbott is one of the politicians that has actually worked alongside Aboriginal Australians when help was needed.

Personally, I think it would be a nice gesture if the so called “Tent Ambassadors” gave Julia her shoe back.

In other news, after some three-year investigation (some marriages don’t last that long), Fair Work Australia has finally, finally announced that as a result of its investigation it has determined “adverse findings” against Labor MP Craig Thomson following allegations he misused his credit card.

Today, the Gillard Government has announced it will give same-sex Australian couples who want to marry overseas a certificate of no impediment.

The certificate, which is required by some countries for heterosexual and same-sex couples, proves a person is over 18, is not married, and that there is no other barrier to them getting married.

Until now the Government only provided the certificate for heterosexual couples but same sex couples will be able to apply for the document from February 1.

Attorney-General Nicola Roxon says while it does not mean a same-sex marriage is recognised in Australia, it does remove a discriminatory hurdle.

“Same-sex couples have been very insulted that they can’t get from their government a certificate which says they’re not married to anyone else,” she said.

“It’s a pretty basic thing and that prevents them from benefiting from the laws of another country. So it’s a removal of discrimination rather than the next step, which our Australian Parliament hasn’t yet dealt with.”

• hundreds of aboriginal activists launch attack on Canberra restaurant
• Prime Minister dragged to safety by riot police
• Zero arrests made

In dramatic scenes, the Prime Minister, Julia Gillard had to be dragged by riot police to safety after hundreds of protesters from the Aboriginal Tent Embassy in Canberra descended on an event where Julia Gillard, was presiding over Australia Day celebrations.

Regardless of how you feel about Ms Gillard of her government this was a disgusting display and has done nothing to advance the cause of the Aboriginal activists.

In fact, in anything it has probably set things back 80 years.

Zero arrests were made.

Queenland Premier Anna Bligh

Premier Anna Bligh calls election amid shocking outrageous flood cover-up scandal claims!!

The Queensland of Premier Anna Bligh has announced that Queensland will go to the polls on March 24.

The announcement comes as the Premier was compelled to give the state’s floods inquiry more time to consider new evidence.

Ms Bligh said she originally wanted to hold the state election on March 3 but was delaying the lection to allow the inquiry more time to do its job.

The inquiry will now have until March 16 to hand down its findings into last year’s catastrophic floods, which left large areas of Brisbane and other parts of the state under water.

Ms Bligh said she wanted Queenslanders to consider the report before voting, and said council elections which had been scheduled for March 31 would be moved back to late April or early May to avoid voters having to go to the polls again so soon after the state ballot.

The State Government will not enter caretaker mode until February 19.

Betting agencies have the odds at: LNP $1.11; ALP $6.25.

"I'm the Prime Minister of this country" ~ Julia Gillard on ABC radio earlier this week

The recent decision by Julia Gillard to welch on her agreement with Andrew Wilkie to implement pokie reform by May of this year has been derided by virtually all sides of politics including her own.

Despite the best endeavors of Gillard apologists to paint this as just another slander perpetuated by the so-called “hate media,” key Independent politicians Andrew Wilkie and Nick Xenophon have slammed Gillard’s decision in recent days as a “betrayal of trust” and another “broken promise.”

Furthermore the Australian Financial Review reports that the Labor party is now divided over the backflip with many fearing the Labor brand may now be irrevocably damaged.

The perception is that the Prime Minister capitulated to the demands of Clubs Australia and “Big Pokie” following their extensive media campaign and lobbying of MPs opposing the pokie reforms the Government agreed to with Andrew Wilkie.

A “rock solid” agreement in Shreds

So much so, that Craig Thomson celebrated the decision declaring that it was due to his successful lobbying of the prime minister about the concerns of many clubs and pubs based in the suburbs of Western Sydney.

“It is something that I and many New South Wales Labor MPs have been calling for,” he said.

A party divided

Many MPs contacted by The Australian Financial Review said the Prime Minister should not have caved in to pressure from Australia’s big clubs that rely on poker machine revenue.

“She should have fought the campaign by Clubs Australia; it was not a vote-changing issue,” one MP said.

Labor MPs said they had received calls from constituents troubled by problem gambling who were bitterly disappointed with Ms Gillard’s decision.

Other Labor MPs said Ms Gillard’s decision to drop the commitment given to Mr Wilkie could be politically risky for Labor.

“It will feed into views of her as not being reliable and being untrustworthy,” one Labor MP said.

Gillard’s backflip on the deal coincides with an increasing number of Australians 62% (Essential) now in favour of pokie reforms.

In Damage Control

Meanwhile, Ms Gillard has called for an unprecedented “brainstorming session” this weekend requiring all members of Labor caucus to attend.

According to News Ltd, all 102 MPs will “workshop policy ideas and strategies,” with one saying: “We will be getting the butcher paper and Textas out and solving the country’s problems.”

MPs will also be asked to raise any concerns they have in their electorates with the PM and the cabinet directly.

“Yeah, it’s 1000 flowers blooming,” said one backbencher, in reference to Chinese communist leader Mao Zedong’s attempt in 1957 to flush out dissidents.

“This is an exercise in trying to beguile the backbench,” another MP said.

“She knows she is in trouble and wants to convince the caucus to stick with her.”

The planning day will be held in the Labor caucus room at parliament at 2pm on Sunday, February 5, before parliament resumes on the Tuesday.

It will be followed by a barbecue with the PM at The Lodge at 5.30pm.

Senior members of the Gillard government were concerned that the caucus would “blow up” if the pokie reform issue had not been resolved before parliament resumed.

They conceded part of the strategy of dumping the deal with independent Andrew Wilkie last week was the timing. “This meeting allows us to move forward without the pokie issue becoming the single issue of focus for MPs, especially those from NSW,” one minister said.

Another MP said the backbench would see through it and most of the major decisions, such as pokies, had been done without caucus: “What difference will this make? It’s for one reason only. Kevin Rudd.”

Clearly in the wake of a catastrophic week for Labor, it is a fairly cynical and transparent attempt to rally support for her leadership from a party that is divided over her handling of the agreement she had with Andrew Wilkie and the subsequent damage to the Labor brand.

With an election now just some 12 to 18 months away, many Labor MPs will be wondering whether their loyalty to Ms Gillard is misguided.

Holy crap!   We have reached a milestone…

We’ve been called “a dying entity,” a “backwater blog,” a “leading newspaper” and many other things that probably ought not be repeated, but this humble little tabloid has now cracked the million..

I would like to thank youse all for your 87, 322 comments (so far)..

Since inception, we have talked about 1,155 posts.

An average day will see around 1500 readers visit GT, although on some days there can be a “bump” if we’re featured on another site like Crikey or Facebook.  On Sunday for example, we had some 2,813 visitors of whom 1008 came via Facebook…

Anyways, happy one millionth to us. And let’s look forward to the next one millionth!

As always, the invitation is open for any fellow lurkers (we know you’re out there) to get involved….

Go on, say something, you’ll feel better…!

 Cheers

 reb.

• War on drugs slammed as a failure
• Prisons overflowing with addicts
• Renewed calls for legalisation of hard drugs

Very rich person and Virgin boss Sir Richard Branson has slammed the so-called “war on drugs” as an abject failure and is calling for a new approach including decriminalisation.

The British billionaire will front a UK parliamentary inquiry into drug policy today, wrote in London’s Daily Telegraph that political leaders needed to find the courage to speak out against current drug policies.

“Over the past 50 years, more than $1 trillion has been spent fighting this battle, and all we have to show for it is increased drug use, overflowing jails, billions of pounds and dollars of taxpayers’ money wasted, and thriving crime syndicates,” he wrote.

“It is time for a new approach.”

Sir Richard argued for a move away from prohibition and enforcement  towards a focus on cutting consumption and reducing harm, saying that a study by the Global Commission for Drug Policy – which he was a part of – on international drug policies over the past 50 years revealed the failure of current measures.

“First, prohibition and enforcement efforts have failed to dent the production and distribution of drugs in any part of the world. Second, the threat of arrest and punishment has had no significant deterrent effect on drug use.

“We need a debate on how policy can cut consumption and reduce harm, rather than inflammatory scaremongering. It is not about supporting drug use; it is about solving a crisis.”

Sir Richard wrote that while it was not yet known which policies would work best, lawmakers all over the world should be encouraged to experiment with new policies, citing some steps taken by Switzerland and Portugal.

“Following examples such as these and embracing a regulated drugs market that is tightly controlled and complemented by treatment – not incarceration – for those with drug problems will cost taxpayers a lot less.”

The Virgin boss said the methods to evaluate such policies should also be radically changed – with the focus on outcomes instead of on arrests, prosecutions and drug seizures, “which turn out to have little impact on levels of drug use or crime”.

“We should instead measure the outcomes in the same way that a business would measure the results of a new ad campaign.

“That means studying things like the number of victims of drug-related violence and intimidation, levels of corruption connected to the drug market, the amount of crime connected to drug use, and the prevalence of dependence, drug-related mortality and HIV infection.”

Renowned neurosurgeon Dr Charlie Teo has taken aim at both sides of politics over their handling of asylum seekers and called for Australians to be more tolerant of those fleeing persecution… 

This is an excerpt from the speech  Charlie Teo delivered last night…

“I would like to see this Australia Day as a turning point.

I want my fellow Australians, those who were born here and those who have immigrated here, to pause and think of the lives that have been sacrificed for what we take for granted today.

I want everyone who finds themselves angry and intolerant to think first about the misfortunes of those who are less fortunate . . . such as those with cancer.

I want anyone who has come from another country to embrace the Australian way of life, it has served us well.

I want all Australians to see how immigrants have contributed to our nation and to appreciate that a rich and prosperous country such as ours has a moral and global responsibility to share our resources.

Finally, I want to thank Australians for giving me professional and personal fulfilment, for believing in me when some of my colleagues didn’t, for seeing a Chinaman as an Aussie, not as a foreigner and for this wonderful opportunity to address the greatest nation in the world.”

Tony Abbott’s recent quip about the tragedy of the Italian cruise ship the Costa Concordia during last week’s FM radio interview in Adelaide had the hosts hooting with mirth. The Opposition Leader, greatly amused by his own wit, joined in the laughter.

However Liberal stalwarts probably recoiled in horror, recognising it as one of those all too familiar moments that raise the question: “Is Abbott fit to be Prime Minister?”

Referring to the stricken cruise ship Mr Abbott said: “Well, that was one boat that did get stopped, wasn’t it?”

This from the man that aspires to hold the highest office in this nation.

Twelve bodies recovered, 22 still missing assumed dead, including a five-year-old girl.

And the alternative prime minister of Australia thought it was an appropriate subject for humour.

As Laurie Oakes put it, he treated the tragedy as a joke in a bid to score domestic political points on asylum seeker policy.

“It is hard to think of anything grubbier” said Oakes.

“The incident brought to mind previous Abbott lapses of judgment, particularly in the 2007 election campaign.”

“His notorious attack on terminally-ill Bernie Banton, who was fighting for compensation for asbestos disease sufferers, springs immediately to mind.”

“Many of us thought Abbott had grown up since then. But apparently not.”

In damage control, Tony Abbott and ruthless sidekick Scott Morrison went on the attack, declaring that the Coalition would block “all boats” from reaching Australian shores and send them back to “where they came from.”

It is of course a preposterous notion and would simply increase the possibility of asylum seekers or their crew sabotaging their own vessels on the high seas.

Immigration spokesman Scott Morrison defended the proposal, declaring that it is in line with the actions of the Howard government. It baffles me why they constantly refer to Howard-era policies as if they’re something to be proud of and aspired to.

I can only conclude that by the “actions of the Howard government,” Morrison means the vile political maneuvering that demonised asylum seekers through the Howard govt fabricated “children overboard” sham that divided Australia and helped get Howard back into office for another term.

And somehow Morrison thinks this disingenuous conduct is worthy of praise and imitation?

The way in which Australia responds to the plight of asylum seekers has been a political hot potato for decades.  However recent polls suggest that the majority of Australians now want onshore processing in order to bring about an end to the unnecessary deaths and misery.

Making some callous claim to “turn the boats around” is nothing other than some grubby populist attempt to appeal to the xenophobes while simultaneously diverting attention from last week’s gaffe.

Pathetic really. But then it’s pretty much what you’d expect from Abbott & Co.