"There is, in Aboriginal Australia, a continuing deep distrust of the European culture." Now turn that around.
There is, in Australia, a continuing deep distrust of the Aboriginal culture. Everything is ultimately exused and sheeted back to whitey. It is distrustful, even grubby and servile to always bang on about the government and resources and contrition when what is lacking very often is dignity. And that is not something taken away, that is thrown away and no amount of sorry-saying will restore it. We can say sorry but it will not do the one thing needed. If we do not respect Aborigines, just as they do not respect themselves, saying sorry is all vanity at best and a softening up for more shake down at worst. No amount of pity or rightious indignation or money doled out by whitey will restore the one thing Aborigines need and whithout which there is no hope of change. Self-respect cannot be a government initiative

' ... refuses to apologise for equally horrific crimes committed by white Australians on their Aboriginal compatriots over two centuries...'

The only things inherited from our ancestors are genes (and sometimes money) - we do not inherit their behaviour, beliefs or morals, nor are we responsible for their actions.

The ancestors of some present-day Australians treated aboriginals badly, nobody would deny this fact - but to demand that Australians give a blanket 'apology' for crimes committed by some of our ancestors in the past, is clearly absurd.

My ancestors came to Sydney in the 1830s - they settled here and helped to build the city. They did not persecute or kill aboriginals, they did not remove aboriginal children from their families, nor did they push aboriginals off their land. They worked hard and their descendents are still doing so. The taxes provided by people like my family constitutes the income of most aboriginals.

After WWII, there were several waves of immigration - do these people and their descendents need to 'apologise' also? John Howard has acknowledged that aboriginals were mistreated in the past by some white settlers - why is he also required to say sorry on behalf of all Australians?

I am sorry that mistreatment of aboriginals occurred, if I could change the past, I would do so - but to 'apologise' for actions carried out by others in the past is meaningless.

Oh that word again.

On behalf on dead people for whom I have no authority to speak (and as correctly pointed out above, probably never saw or met an Aboriginal) to other dead people for whom you have no authority to accept for: "sorry", "sorry", "sorry", "sorry", "sorry", "sorry", "sorry", "sorry", "sorry", "sorry", "sorry", "sorry", "sorry", "sorry", "sorry", "sorry", "sorry", "sorry", "sorry", "sorry", "sorry", "sorry", "sorry", "sorry", "sorry", "sorry", "sorry", "sorry", "sorry", "sorry", "sorry", "sorry", "sorry", "sorry", "sorry", "sorry", "sorry", "sorry", "sorry", "sorry", "sorry", "sorry", "sorry", "sorry", "sorry".

There it's been said. Does it change anything? Do you feel more empowered? For goodness sake, get off this pinko touchy-feely word and actually do something. There is violence now that can be addressed. You can't change the past and 20 million "whities" are not going to walk back into the ocean.

"Get over it".

Will 'sorry' help an aborigine child who has been raped? This incredidibly stupid political correctness has strangled all attempts to bring aboriginals in this century. This is the biggest crime that has been committed on these people. It is a crime of apartheid, a crime of neglect, all in the cause of a hideous leftist ideology that keeps cropping up in spite of all the plain common sense that is prevailing in the Australian population.

And the first 4 posts here demonstrate how easy it is for Howard to get re-elected.

Why would he adopt a bipartisan / reconciliation spirit?

Barnes and Glenn, why are you asking for the impossible? Do you get off on writing this stuff?

White racial superiority is so entrenched into the psyche of Australians it is virtually impossible to select a point from which progressive discussion and synthesis can occur.

On the Right we have stoic adherence to racial hierarchical thinking 24/7. Read the recent sensationalist hyperbole in the Murdock press.

On the Left we have a limp defiance to this thinking but also patronage to doing nothing about reconciliation and race relations - beyond the media opportunities that present themselves.

I wonder how many people who refuse to say "sorry", soley on the basis that they wern't personally responsible for the actions of others, puff their chests out with pride on ANZAC day?