National 7:56 pm AEST April 16 2000 Reconciliation more important than ever says council AAP -- The government's denial of the stolen generation had made reconciliation by the end of 2000 more important than ever, the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation said today. At a special meeting convened to discuss the events of the past two weeks, the reconciliation council decided that positive outcomes by the end of this year were essential to heal the nation's wounds. The government's refusal to apologise for the past assimilation policies or pay compensation, and its denial that a generation of Aboriginal children was taken from their families, had increased the need for reconciliation, the council said. "These events emphasised that true reconciliation was essential for Australia's future as a harmonious nation which genuinely lived out its ethos of a fair go for all," the council said. In a statement released following the meeting, the council said it supported the earlier statements of chairwoman Evelyn Scott and deputy chairman Sir Gustav Nossal that Senator John Herron's submission to a Senate Committee on the Stolen Generation had greatly harmed reconciliation. The government submission said one in 10 Aboriginal children taken from their families did not constitute a generation. "The council expressed its empathy and support for members of the Stolen Generation and all indigenous people who had experienced pain and suffering since the release of the submission." At the meeting, the council also confirmed it would stick to its timetable to finalise its proposal about a reconciliation document at its meeting at the end of April. The final document proposals will be released in a ceremony at the Sydney Opera House in mid-May. Prime Minister John Howard has abandoned his timetable that would have had the reconciliation document endorsed by parliament by January 1 next year to coincide with the centenary of federation. Evelyn Scott said in reaching its decisions the council had taken account of several recent submissions from prominent indigenous and other Australians who had urged the council to be both principled and realistic in drawing up its final proposals. -- _________________________________ Truth is a pathless land. --- Krishnamurti ------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------ RecOzNet2 has a page @ http://www.green.net.au/recoznet2 and is archived at http://www.mail-archive.com/ To unsubscribe from this list, mail [EMAIL PROTECTED], and in the body of the message, include the words: unsubscribe announce or click here mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=unsubscribe%20announce This posting is provided to the individual members of this group without permission from the copyright owner for purposes of criticism, comment, scholarship and research under the "fair use" provisions of the Federal copyright laws and it may not be distributed further without permission of the copyright owner, except for "fair use." RecOzNet2 is archived for members @ http://www.mail-archive.com/recoznet2%40paradigm4.com.au/
