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Sorry Book open in UK

25 March 1998 - The Howard Government faces more embarrassment over its handling of race issues with the British launch of a campaign to win an apology for the "stolen generations" of indigenous Australians.

A stand will be set up outside Australia House in London tomorrow for people to sign a Sorry Book to make their own apology for the former policy of removing Aboriginal people from their parents.

Journalist John Pilger, author Kathy Lette, barrister Geoffrey Robertson, gay activist Peter Tatchell and entertainers Jonothan Coleman and Mark Little have offered support to the campaign in the UK.

The campaign is in response to the Federal Government's refusal to offer an apology for a policy described by a human rights body as genocide.

Pilger's soon to be released book Hidden Agendas is highly critical of Australia's indigenous affairs record, especially since the coalition under Prime Minister John Howard was elected two years ago.

The book accuses the Prime Minister of pursuing an apartheid policy by seeking to cancel the High Court's Wik ruling on Native Title. "Nothing like it has been proposed in a modern society, it means the reintroduction of race into the political mainstream and the expropriation from one group of Australians, the native people, of property rights that the highest court of the land has said is theirs." Pilger writes. The legislation, regardless of its obfuscations, is straight out of the ideology known as apartheid."

Pilger also criticises Mr Howard's campaign against the "black armband" view of Australian history and the Prime Minister's opposition to schools teaching that Australia has a racist and bigoted past.

This article appeared in The West Australian

Further information: stolen generations issues page - includes news index and external links