Rudd says ‘sorry’ for things that occurred in different times when different values prevailed. A day or two of boo-hooing and sniffling in the media follows, and then the whole thing is forgotten.

What a lot of useless, negative and meaningless rubbish!

Politicians should be tidying up their own games in the here and now rather than pontificating on the past, which most of them know little about, and apologising for things that are none of their damn business. Judging what people did or didn’t do in past ages, particularly when the same things were thought and done by all the forebears of modern populations is stupidly ignorant to say the least.

How about some apologies from present day politicians for Vietnam, Iraq, Rawanda. Afghanistan, and a few other incidents like Rudd’s blatant tax proposal under the dishonest guise of helping the climate.

Apologies from politicians who actually make mistakes and apologise in their own lifetimes to the people they wronged would gain them more respect than apologising for somebody else’s mistakes or actions made in a different era altogether.

Rudd and Brown are tarred with the same brush; but our concern is Rudd, who is a master of using meaningless and insincere claptrap to take gullible Australians' eyes of the real problem for our country – Rudd himself.

Leigh, you have hit the nail on the head.

You would be hard pressed to find any decent Australian who is not sorry for what happened to the 'forgotten generation', or even the 'stolen generation' for that matter, but, to appologise is a whole different situation.

It's like a mate telling you he was involved in an accident and you saying, 'sorry to hear that', but you don't appologise to him.

A lot of crap went down when John Howard refussed to appologise to the SG and, despite his repeated statements expressing deep sorrow for them, Krudd could not appologise quick enough all in the name of scoring 'brownie points' from a very gullable sector of the voting population.

The words 'sorry' and 'appologise' are worlds appart.

When you look at Krudd, so far he has appologised to the SG and the FG, he has committed our nation to kyoto and almost placed our heads in an 'unknown noose' with his failed ETS, despite the fact that the 'whole world' is meeting to discuss emmisions reduction' just weeks from his failed plan.

With his failed solar and insulation projects and his wasted billions on stimulus packages, perhaps it is Krudd who should be appologising to both the Australian public and the next generation or two that he has burdoned with this 'huge debt' he has managed to ring up in 'record' short time.

I'm still waiting for his apology for Whitlam & Keatinge, Carmen Lawrence & Wayne Goss, Peter Beatty & Anna Bligh.

Here are a few more 'sorry's' he may wish to consider.

I'm sorry for the botched solar scheme;
... the botched insulation scheme,
... the fact that I have not yet taken control of the state's hospitals, the mess I have made of my education splash.

I am sorry that I have spent the next few generations pensions and that many to come will be born with a huge financial burdon.

I am sorry for the way that I failed to handle my first real 'boat people' challange

He has quite a record of failures in his two short years. Something that he really should be sorry for.

Now before you supporters give the old 'GFC' speach again, just remember, Australia faired better than most simply because we had money in the bank to start with.

The entire labor movement appears to be full of 'media puppets'.

Crickey, no flak from the left ? We couldn't possibly that right, could we ?

Yes, I suspect that anyone who is game enough to admit they voted labor is simply running out of excusses as to why we are in such a mess and, I am of the opinion that we aint seen nothin yet.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I recon 2010 will be a complete stinker.

Who do you know that will buy a new car next year, or a new bobcat, or new equipment for a small business.

Beleive me, we are in for a doozy of a first six months!

I watched the apology on TV.
A child of the time, I was brought up and brutalised in orphanages. Did I get anything from the apology? Sorry, I did not because my question is what is being done to stop it.
I do not doubt people were shocked and sorry for what has happened in the past.
Despite children are still being abused.
As a Community Advocate, I spent nearly three days trying to have a child Protection Order on three disabled children.
Too long a story but here is a summary of the outcome.
Response from child Protection? Are the children in immediate danger? No, they are not and will not be until access visit. As one of the issues involves potentially the parent abducting them and taking them overseas it is an urgent issue.
The children had made a complaint on the children’s Helpline. Response? Call us back after the holidays! So much for the Helpline.
The children complained to teachers and their doctors. No action, despite a legal requirement to report any such complaints for further investigation.
It seems no one wanted to hear the children.
Federal police, regarding the question did the Child Alert remain. Sorry we cannot tell you that due to confidentiality or privacy laws.
Immigration? Not our responsibility, Foreign Affairs responsibility.
Foreign Affairs? Not our responsibility, Passport Department.
I asked again about abduction of children to one country and was told that Australia did not have a Geneva Convention agreement regarding extradition and therefore would not take any action.
It would have to be done privately.
Checking the costs was advised $90,000 to $200,000+ depending on what was involved. Certainly puts it beyond low income or pensioners to have the children returned.
What of the future of such children?
While the laws seem very limited and departments reluctant to act I believe that application of the “Precautionary Principle should apply. Then access would be denied and it can then be investigated and dealt with by the courts.
When laws fail to protect the children they need to be amended or changed