The 2008 Apology Speech In The Struggle For Indigenous Rights And Freedoms

The 2008 Apology speech was greatly significant in the struggle for Indigenous Rights and Freedoms, this is because the Indigenous community suffered from much oppression and inhuman acts against them through the time of the 1900’s such as segregation and persecution, racism is still present in todays’ society towards their culture. After many years of this, former prime minister; Kevin Rudd vocalised his apology towards those of the stolen generations in 2008. His speech acknowledges the wrongs of the past and apologises for those who wronged the indigenous people. In Rudd’s speech he persistently uses language that makes viewers understand the hardships and wrongs of the past. The apology holds much significance because the prime ministers refused

John Howard strongly believed that he didn’t need to apologise, “I didn’t believe genocide had taken place, and I still don’t.” (John Howard, 2014). This states that he is saying that he believes that nothing happened to the Indigenous people therefore there’s no need to apologise. John Howard has also believed that it isn’t necessary to apologise because it had also happened before Australia did it e.g. (British pioneers) and he believes it wasn’t fair on him to have to apologise. By the government of this time not wanting to apologise it makes the Indigenous culture look extremely unimportant and they believed it would have jeopardised their image as a “strong” government and admitting they had done wrong as the public might get aggressive etc. This makes the apology speech very significant because after many long years of segregation and unfairness and after many prime ministers, Kevin Rudd finally apologises to the Indigenous community. This proves the significance of the apology speech as it took many years to