[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 242 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 242

 Recognizing the apology offered by the Government of Australia to the 
aboriginal people and its significance as a gesture of healing for this 
                             proud nation.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 12, 2009

Mr. Hastings of Florida (for himself, Mr. Lewis of Georgia, Mr. Payne, 
  Mr. Faleomavaega, Mr. Meeks of New York, Ms. Lee of California, Mr. 
Clay, Mr. Meek of Florida, Mr. Butterfield, Mr. Al Green of Texas, and 
 Ms. Fudge) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
 the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on 
   the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the 
  Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall 
           within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Recognizing the apology offered by the Government of Australia to the 
aboriginal people and its significance as a gesture of healing for this 
                             proud nation.

Whereas indigenous Australians are a people of many languages and traditions who 
        arrived on the continent more than 50,000 years ago, and have one of the 
        oldest continuing cultures on earth;
Whereas violence, discrimination, and disenfranchisement played a significant 
        role in European and indigenous Australian relations, including the mass 
        killings of indigenous Australians by European settlers during the 18th 
        century, restricting indigenous Australians from having the unqualified 
        right to vote in Australia until 1962, and forcibly removing children of 
        indigenous and Torres Strait Island ancestry from their homes and 
        communities and assimilating them in White families and orphanages for 
        much of the 20th century, victims of which have become known as the 
        ``Stolen Generations'';
Whereas the adoption of such discriminatory laws and policies by the Australian 
        Government undoubtedly contributed to the poverty, unemployment, 
        substandard education, crime, and poor health care that continue to 
        devastate indigenous communities;
Whereas despite centuries of official and unofficial systems of discrimination, 
        Australia's indigenous people have made profound contributions to 
        Australia's social fabric;
Whereas indigenous Australians were inspired by the American Civil Rights 
        Movement and organized against institutionalized discrimination from the 
        1950s through the 1970s to fight for the rights and privileges that they 
        were denied in their native country;
Whereas, on February 13, 2008, after decades of requests from activists and 
        elected officials asking the Australian Government to express an 
        unqualified apology for its treatment of indigenous Australians, 
        Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd apologized on behalf of the 
        Australian Government and its Parliament for the Stolen Generation and 
        the overall ``past mistreatment'' of indigenous Australians, and 
        promised to address the resulting social, economic, and health 
        disparities in indigenous communities;
Whereas, as part of this apology, Prime Minister Rudd also promised to ``harness 
        the determination of all Australians'' to close the gap that lies 
        between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians in life expectancy, 
        educational achievement, and economic opportunity;
Whereas Australia's national apology for the atrocities that it committed 
        against the indigenous people is a significant expression of Australia's 
        willingness to come to terms with its past to better understand its 
        present and build a better future; and
Whereas Prime Minister Rudd, in a speech delivered to the Australian Parliament 
        on February 26, 2009, renewed Australia's determination to address the 
        disparities faced by indigenous people and committed to a national 
        investment of $4,600,000,000 over 10 years to programs aimed at 
        eliminating these disparities: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) commends the Australian Government for acknowledging 
        the injustices of its past in order to understand the 
        injustices of its present and prevent these injustices from 
        continuing in the future;
            (2) joins with the Australian Government in hoping that 
        this apology marks the start of a more open and fluid 
        communication between the indigenous community and the 
        Australian Government, including a commitment to addressing the 
        social, economic, and health issues that disproportionately 
        affect indigenous Australians;
            (3) regards the Australian Parliament's historic 
        recognition of its past wrongs as an inspiration for other 
        multi-ethnic nations around the world to acknowledge the 
        injustices of its past in order to understand the injustices of 
        its present and prevent these injustices from continuing in the 
        future; and
            (4) remains committed to comprehensively addressing the 
        economic, educational, and health-related disparities that 
        continue to affect some Black, indigenous, and other 
        communities of color because of discriminatory laws that were 
        authorized and enforced by the United States local, State, and 
        national governments.
                                 <all>