Well, here's my two bits:
a) Yes, it's about jolly time that the leader of the Australian government apologised to a group of people who were deeply and undeniably hurt by a long running policy that was implemented by the Australian government. Even if it was a different government in a different time, and no one currently involved in any level of the government had any direct responsibility, it was something done by "the government" to "the people" for which "the government" needed to acknowledge and apologise for so "the people" can start trying to put that part of our history to bed.
It will never be (should never be) forgotten or forgiven, but at least now it's closed. Without that acknowledgement/apology, it was an open issue that needed to be addressed. It's been addressed now, so we can close that chapter and start writing a new one.
Rudd's managed to secure himself a place in the history books simply by being the first bloke to do what was a no-brainer, really.
b) Flippin' Brendan Nelson. What was he thinking? Sure, he had a lot of good things to say, but some of them were really out of place today. All of the Indigenous people converging on Canberra and glued to their screens/radios waiting for "their moment", and he goes and brings up the dirty laundry. The celebration is not the time to bring up the dirty laundry. That can wait for the day after.
I was listening to his speech (and the jeering that tried to drown it out) and I couldn't help but feel for all of the people who were expecting to be proud and happy today and just ended up feeling angry instead. Heaven forbid we give them a whole day to feel good about themselves.
"Right time and place" people. There's such a thing as a "right time and place".
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