I think sorry should be the first thing Parliment says when a new or old Government sits. Australia will not be bankrupted from litigation how ridiculous that is just fear talking. Canada wasn't bankrupted from saying sorry to their indigenous people. The healing cannot begin until the nation says sorry to its first people. I believe the next step should be to put the TREATY into process. Murri, Koori, Yungala, GNungha
sorry can't remember all names (that in itself shows how little we embrace our indigenous population, we can all name the states and territories can't we) anyway all peoples need to sit down and make agreements with each other so a treaty can be formulated. We are the only nation in the world who does not have a treaty with our indigenous people. Shame Australia. Migaloo woman Darumbal country.

It was many many years ago,many generations ago!
It was a thing most governments did, when I say that I am also talking about all the children who were bought over here on a ship from England and made work and slave in Western australia.
It was not just Aborigines.
When did people in government say sorry for wars of the past?
Move on! Stop living in the past and making people today say sorry for their for fathers errors of judgement at that time.
It is not acceptable today ,but it was back then.
Life is to short to keep pondering on things that happened in the past and those peoples lives cannot be fixed now!
Some of them are probably greatful it happened as perhaps they are educated and have a wonderful life now any way.
So definately No!
Sorry won't fix it and as someone said ,todays society are ready to sue at the drop of a hat.As a tax payer I am not prepared to pay money to such a cause.

Lordy be, but there's some bad Samaritans down this road.

A few points in support of an apology:
1. Sure, all countries have been invaded, but we are in THIS country, and in THIS country the invasion was so bloody and so unfair and so brutal that the aftershocks are still reverberating. It deserves an apology.
2. To apologise is a fine thing; a noble thing. Strong people apologise. Weak people get defensive, and say "it wasn't me", and prevaricate.
3. A formal apology for the profound wrong done to the Aboriginal people is not an admission of *your* family's guilt. How strange to think it. My family are twentieth century NESB immigrants, but we're all in favour of an apology. We would like to say sorry because we have benefited from a country that benefited from breaking the back of the indigenous people.
4. Canada formally apologised to its indigenous people in 1998. There have been legal ramifications. Nor would there be here, unless the government willed it.
5. Not apologising has not worked to improve the lot of Indigenous Australians.
6. It is the right thing to do.

Words are not enough it is well past time our first Australians stopped blaming the past for the reality of their present.
It takes two sides to progress.

The wrongs of the past must first be acknowledged before people can move on. A kind 'right' word does not cost much and saying 'sorry' is the right word.