The Associated Press

Feb 13, International Herald Tribune


CANBERRA, Australia: Aborigines organized breakfast barbecues in the Outback, schools held assemblies and giant TV screens went up in state capitals Wednesday as Australians watched a live broadcast of their government apologizing for policies that degraded its indigenous people.

In a historic parliamentary vote that supporters said would open a new chapter in race relations, lawmakers unanimously adopted Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's motion on behalf of all Australians.

"We apologize for the laws and policies of successive parliaments and governments that have inflicted profound grief, suffering and loss on these our fellow Australians," Rudd said in Parliament, reading from the motion.

Aborigines remain the country's poorest and most disadvantaged group, and Rudd has made improving their lives one of his government's top priorities.

As part of that campaign, Aborigines were invited for the first time to give a traditional welcome Tuesday at the official opening of the Parliament session — symbolic recognition that the land on which the capital was built was taken from Aborigines without compensation.

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photo: An ancient Aboriginal cave painting depicts a Kangaroo and a Hunter. Kakadu National Park, Northern Territory Australia (Jason Edwards/ Getty Images)