Kevin Rudd Apology Speech In Australia

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Source B, a transcript of the apology speech, is the most useful source out of the five as it is reliable and has no particular perspective, making it unbiased. Whilst it is comes from a website, which usually makes people question the reliability and accuracy of a source, it can be proven reliable by listening to the actual video of the speech and taking down what Kevin Rudd says, seeing that it matches the transcript. A historian studying the changing rights and freedoms of Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander Australians would be able to use this transcript to read what Kevin Rudd actually said and be able to analyse it without having to listen to the speech video over and over again. It accurately displays the way Kevin Rudd felt as he …show more content…

It was mostly apologising for the stolen generation as Kevin Rudd apologises for breaking up families and talks about the future as a whole country.

Former Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, was assisted by the rest of the labor party leading up to his delivered apology speech. Many apology speech polls, referring to source A, were conducted in Australia in 1997. One poll said that 65% of Australians agreed that the government should say sorry, whilst another poll suggested that only 37% agreed with the government apologising to the Indigenous Australians. The speech was held on the 13th of February, 2008, and it's eighth anniversary was held last month. The apology speech was heavily publicised, making sure it was accessible to all …show more content…

For some, it was a really important and significant moment. Archie Roach, who was an aboriginal singer, said; "I feel great. I'm on top of the world, I'm floating on air. It's a big weight off my shoulders… It's the closure I need." Others did not share the same opinion, claiming that it didn't change anything. Norman Stewart, who was a son of a stolen generation victim, said; "The word 'sorry' doesn't come near what [my father] went through. They can apologise in a thousand different ways without saying sorry. Actions speak louder than words." An aboriginal elder said; "Blackfellas will get the words, the whitefellas will keep the money." The responses from the white people were also different. Looking at Source D, the quote; "The whole sorry thing is really to satisfy the white population, not the black population. Until whites give back to black their nationhood, they can never claim their own, no matter how many flags they fly" is shown. Others, such as Tony Abbott agreed that it was the right thing to

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