T

he Australian government will celebrate Friday the first anniversary of the apology speech to the Stolen Generation, which received international attention as a cornerstone in modern Australian politics.

On Feb. 13, 2008, Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, in a momentous event in the country's recent history, passed a motion that was unanimously received in the Australian Parliament to apologize to Australia's indigenous people. In his speech to parliament, Rudd moved for the Australian government to reflect on and acknowledge the mistreatment of the Aboriginal Australian people with an apology.

"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," Rudd said in his speech.

"We apologize for the laws and policies of successive parliaments and governments that have inflicted profound grief, suffering and loss on these our fellow Australians."

Rudd's apology, on behalf of the Australian government, recognized the harm caused by previous government policies in ordering the removal of Aboriginal children from their families and communities, without placing blame on the current generation of Australians.

The apology is an integral part of the process of reconciliation to bring together indigenous and non-indigenous Australians to develop a better common understanding of the blemishes in Australia's history, so as to reach a better future for all its people the Australian government said.

"Reconciliation involves justice, recognition and healing," the Australian Embassy in Jakarta said in a statement sent to The Jakarta Post.

"It is about helping all Australians move forward with a better understanding of the past and how the past affects the lives of indigenous people today."