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February 12, 2008
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's apology motion has been tabled in Parliament:
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 nation’s history.
The time has now come for the nation to turn 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.
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Indigenous elders invite all
Aboriginal people, supporters and other members of the general public,
to come together at the 'Aboriginal Tent
Embassy' site, on Monday 26th January 2009, to celebrate "SOVEREIGNTY
DAY" and be part of the Sacred Fire Ceremonial
Gathering.
The 'Federation of Aboriginal Sovereign Nations' will be
convening on Monday 26th January 2009 where the focus of discussions
will center around Sovereignty Issues.
After Sovereignty Business has been attended to by the
'Federation of Aboriginal Sovereign Nations' we will have a big
Sovereignty Corroboree, over the rest of the week.
Music to Download
Download either Ogg Vorbis (Ogg) or MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3 (Mp3) music files here, of:
Paul Kelly and Kev Carmody - From Little Things Big Things Grow.ogg
or
Paul Kelly and Kev Carmody - From Little Things Big Things Grow.mp3
(NB the Ogg Vorbis
format is better quality than Mp3 with better compression, it is a
completely open, patent-free, professional audio encoding and streaming
technology with all the benefits of Open Source. Get ready to throw out
those MP3 players and switch over to Ogg Vorbis. To play Ogg Vorbis,
switch to an Open Source Player, which plays this format & hear the
difference.)
The Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples was aopted by the
General Assembly on Thursday September 13, by a vote of 143 in favour,
4 against and 11 abstensions.
The Declaration (Document no. 61/295) is not yet available on the
Official Documents System of the United Nations. However the draft
resolution to adotpt the Declaration contains the whole text of the
Declaration as adopted. It is available in all languages here below.
>>>The draft resolution to adopt the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
(This pdf document includes the whole text of the Declaration)
Press Release - 24th March 2006 - NB STILL RELEVENT FOR THIS YEAR
Download Press Release *.pdf format
Download Press Release *.doc format
Download Press Release *.odt format - (ODF) OpenDocument format
Aboriginal Tent Embassy Calls for Aid from Aboriginal People and Supporters
The Aboriginal Tent Embassy believes that the issue Aboriginal
Sovereignty has been unresolved since 1770 when Aboriginal people
opposed Captain James Cook's reconnaissance of the Great Southern Land
`Terra Australis', followed by Captain Arthur Philips incursion
establishing the platform for invasion. Out-posts were initially set-up
on the East Coast of `Terra Australis' and methodically spread across
Aboriginal people's `terra firma'.
As a direct result of these unprovoked and planned transgressions,
Aboriginal people of terra Australis resisted and defended our inherent
sovereign heritage that continues to be suppressed by political
ideology and economic greed which clearly stands out in the endemic
statistical evidence of Aboriginal people's quality of life and
restrictions of a free Aboriginal voice. Australia's lack of political
freedoms and religious morals are denying Aboriginal people's right to
self-determination, is an indictment on all Australians.
Post Mabo
The Aboriginal Tent Embassy believes that all Aboriginal people's
oppressive living conditions will not change until `unfinished
business' is addressed, based on `just terms', with recognition and
acknowledgment of Aboriginal sovereign rights. Aboriginal people are
still arbitrarily denied our continuous freedom of existent. The
Aboriginal Tent Embassy will continue to resist this colonial
encroachment until the matter of Aboriginal Sovereignty is
satisfactorily addressed.
On the 26th of January 2006 the Federation of Aboriginal Sovereign
Nations formed an Aboriginal Tent Embassy `Working Group', which was
given a mandate to assist the Federation organise and facilitate
planned activities and raise funds to meet their operational
requirements at the Aboriginal Tent Embassy site.
The Aboriginal Tent Embassy Working Group asks Aboriginal people and
our supporters to contribute Aid of $1 per week through direct debit
from your bank account paid monthly, (to help keep bank fees to a
minimum), to Commonwealth Bank Account Aboriginal Tent Embassy Working
Group Aid fund cheque account, BSB Number: 062901 Acc No: 10123691
The Aboriginal Tent Embassy Working Group will administer the Aid Funds to facilitate the following planned activities.
- To organise and
assist the Aboriginal Tent Embassy and supporters to demonstrate
against the `Stolenwealth Games' being held in Melbourne during March
2006.
- On the 23rd August 2006 the Aboriginal Tent Embassy will
commemorate the Gurinji people's strike and walk-off of Wave Hill
Station in the Northern Territory in August 1966 – focus to discuss
land rights.
- On the 26th January 2006 the Aboriginal Tent Embassy announced that
26th January 2007 will be known as Sovereignty Day and the Working
Group will organise and facilitate the Annual General Meeting of the
Federation of Aboriginal Sovereign Nations – focus Aboriginal
Sovereignty.
- To organise Aboriginal Sovereignty Day Corroboree on 26th January 2007.
- To incorporate and call for Aid from Aboriginal people and supporters.
- Other activities that are endorsed by the Aboriginal Tent Embassy and Federation of Aboriginal Sovereign Nations.
Our Slogan is:
| One Mob | Represents Aboriginal people of Australia and a call to stand united as one. |
| One Voice | Stands for a free Aboriginal Voice. |
| One dollar | Is all it takes. |
For further information please contact one of the following Working Group members on Mobile phone numbers:
Ray Swan: 0401 663 913 John Coe: 0431 902 858 Robbie Thorpe: 0437 967 039
© 2010, 'Australian Aboriginal Elders', ATE,
all rights reserved.
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