In a move to distant itself from the Howard government, the new Rudd government will use the first sitting of Federal Parliament to formally make an apology to the 'Stolen Generations' with one of its proponent declaring it a 'historic moment' for Australia.
The Federal Indigenous Affairs Minister, Jenny Macklin, made the announcement that the apology, in the form of a motion, will be passed in the Hose of Representative on February 13th. She hoped the motion could be bipartisan but she was also adamant it would be passed regardless of whether the Opposition supported it or not.
She said a national apology to the 'Stolen Generations' was necessary for the country to move from its past and it should be made on behalf of the Australian government and not the current generation.
"A national apology to the Stolen Generations and their families is a first, necessary step to move forward from the past," Ms Macklin said.
"The apology will be made on behalf of the Australian Government and does not attribute guilt to the current generation of Australian people."
One of the proponents who argued for a national apology, Christine King, from the Stolen Generations Alliance, choked back tears as she described it as a historic moment in which older Aboriginals never thought they would see.
"Older people never thought they would live to see this day," she said, almost breaking down.
"This is a historic moment, not just for Aboriginal people, but for Australia. It's Australia standing up as a nation and saying 'we've come of age'."
The Opposition Leader, Dr Brendan Nelson, was hesitant about a national apology, saying there were more important issues to deal with. But, in what some media commentators described as his first big test since becoming leader, he was facing division among the Coalition ranks from those who supported an apology to be made.
Malcolm Turnbull, the Shadow Treasurer, through a spokesman made clear his strong support for an apology. He was also joined by Sharman Stone, the Opposition junior indigenous affairs spokeswoman, who made clear Parliament must apologise.
All six state governments had already made an apology to the Aboriginals while the three largest Christian denominations in Australia did likewise. Some elements within the Australian Roman Catholic, such as the Bishop Committee on Social Welfare, had issued a formal apology to the media.
The National Assembly of the Uniting Church issued a detailed apology to the Indigenous people in 1994, including reference to the Stolen Generations. In 1998 the General Synod of the Anglican Church expressed an apology while The Christian Missionary Society (CMS) discussed the question of an apology with the communities with which they work in the Northern Territory. The outcome of these discussions was an apology printed in the Autumn 1998 Checkpoints magazine.