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The Stolen Generation: Paul Keating's Acknowledgment Speech

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The mistreatment of Aboriginal Australians during the time which is now called ‘The Stolen Generation’ is the real low point in Australian History. Being explored in this essay is how Paul Keating’s acknowledgment speech changed the way films perceive Aborigines, as Aboriginals went from being seen as destructive and violent to innocent and wrong done by. It will also include how the film Rabbit Proof Fence put a human face on an issue most didn’t understand and how Kevin Rudd’s apology speech allowed reconciliation between non-Aboriginal Australians and Aboriginal Australians. These three events to an extent changed the attitudes and treatments of Aborigines by giving a society a greater understanding of what happened during the time we refer …show more content…

This speech here was very different to Kevin Rudd’s apology speech which occurred a soon 16 years later, Paul Keating only acknowledged what they did was wrong but he didn’t say sorry. But this still had a big influence on what society thought and how they acted towards Aboriginal Australians. Before Paul Keating’s speech the only Aboriginal movies that existed were Jedda, Walkabout, Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith and The Last Wave. All these movies showed Aboriginal culture in a destructive and violent sense from the point of view of non-Aboriginal Australians. Whereas after this speech, a film such as Rabbit Proof Fence show cased the Aboriginal side of the story and not the non-Aboriginal side. These movies showed a different side to Aboriginal culture where they saw themselves. Also after this acknowledgment speech a soon 8 years after was the first official Sorry Day, Paul Keating’s speech had that big of an influence on society celebrates annually on the 26th of May for Sorry …show more content…

Kevin Rudd stating “this blemished chapter in our national history” meaning what we did was wrong and will forever be seen as a down fall in our country’s history. This speech is one of the biggest turning points in Australian History as from this point on the view of Aboriginal Australians were seen as the same as non-Aboriginal Australians. In the speech Rudd states “close the gap” by this he means for what happened in the past will be made up to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as they are to enjoy the same opportunities as all other Australians. After this speech the ‘gap’ was closed as all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people receive rights to Aboriginal land in Australia, as well as health care rights and schooling rights. After this speech the treatment of Aboriginals had changed because now before every sporting game or school assembly we pay respect to the Ancestors of the land. ''The time has now come for the nation to turn a new page in Australia's history by righting the wrongs of the past and so moving forward with confidence to the future,'' by Kevin Rudd producing this apology it truly did right the wrongs for what happened in the

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