Rift widens in Australian Opposition over PM's “sorry” proposal

More Australian Opposition Liberal/National
coalition members have supported Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's proposal for an
apology to the Aboriginal “Stolen Generation” despite leader
Brendan Nelson's view that it would encourage “victimhood”
amongst Aboriginals.

Dr Nelson is struggling to play down a
rift with key members of his party which include leadership rival and shadow Treasurer Malcolm Turnbull, who supports such a proposal.

Other members of the Liberal party who
support Mr Rudd's plans for a formal apology to indigenous people
removed from their families during an assimiliation policy last
century are former families minister Judi Moylan and Victorian MP
Petro Georgiou.

"I think as a nation we owe an
apology," Ms Moylan told The Age newspaper. "We shouldn't be thinking
about it as an individual apology — it's an apology that is coming
from the nation state because it was governments that did these
things."

However such an act would reinforce a
state of “victimhood” amongst indigenous Australians said Dr
Nelson and his views were supported by outspoken West Australian
backbencher Wilson Tuckey who said the planned apology “...won't
take one remote-area Aboriginal off the booze or petrol."

"The only people who will get some
sort of benefit is the Aboriginal elite, who are also anticipating
when they get the money,” Mr Tuckey said. "But none of that
money will go to the poor buggers who were unfortunate enough to be
left in the bush. It's a joke."

Queensland Liberal Senator Sue Boyce
said an apology shouldn't be necessary because Parliament had already
expressed deep and sincere regret for past wrongs to indigenous
people in 1999.

"I don't know what is left to say
except for one little word — sorry — and if you look at what the
Sorry Day Committee is saying, they think that word is tokenistic if
it doesn't come with compensation," she said.

The Opposition is due to hammer out its
position in a two-day joint party meeting in Canberra next week

Mr Rudd is expected to announce the
contentious proposal when parliament opens on February 12.