Yearbook 2008
Australia. In connection with the opening of the new
parliament on February 12, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd
apologized to the Aborigines for the abuses the whites have
committed against the indigenous peoples since the
colonization. For the first time, Aboriginal enrollees were
also included in Parliament's opening ceremony.
In particular, Rudd mentioned how badly the children of
the "lost generation" were treated when they were stolen
from their parents and placed in white families. According
to
Countryaah reports, this
so-called assimilation policy went on from the 1910s to the
end of the 1960s.
 The excuse was welcomed by most Aboriginal
representatives, although some wanted the government to pay
damages to those affected by the assimilation policy. Rudd
said no to compensation and instead wanted to invest in
improving the current situation of indigenous peoples who
are generally much worse off than whites in terms of health,
life expectancy and education. Rudd's representative, John
Howard, refused during his time in power to give the
Aborigines a formal apology as he allegedly feared the
demands for financial compensation. All six state
governments had already apologized for the assimilation
policy, but only Tasmania had promised damages.
In 2008, Rudd's government reformed the controversial
refugee policy that was aimed at detaining asylum seekers
and visitors whose visas had expired. The harsh refugee
policy had been introduced by the previous Labor government
in the 1990s. The government also interrupted the so-called
Pacific solution that former Prime Minister Howard had
introduced in 2001, which included holding asylum seekers in
camps in Nauru and also on an island in Papua New Guinea,
pending Australian authorities to investigate their cases.
Nauru and Papua New Guinea were paid by Australia to house
asylum seekers. In February, the last group of refugees left
Nauru and the camp there closed.
The harsh rules for refugee reception were softened. The
government promised not to internally seek asylum-seeking
children in the future, and that adults would only be
detained in exceptional cases to deter refugee smugglers and
for a maximum of one year. The opposition criticized the
government for opening the borders for increased immigration
and for encouraging refugee smugglers. Immigration Minister
Chris Evans said border controls would be a priority even in
the future, but that it was about treating asylum seekers
more humane. Amnesty International and other human rights
organizations welcomed the government's decision.
During the autumn, there was a marked increase in the
number of people trying to get to Australia compared to the
previous year and the authorities stopped several refugee
boats. In December, the government surprisingly announced
that a new camp for asylum seekers would be opened on
Christmas Island, a rocky island in the Indian Ocean that
belongs to Australia. The camp had been erected on behalf of
the previous government and was completed in the fall of
2008. Thus, it was clear that Rudd's government had not yet
completely abandoned the harsh refugee policy. Women and
children would not be placed in the camp, according to the
Department of Immigration.
In April, the government invited over a thousand
participants, including businessmen, academics, scientists
and artists, to a forum on the country's future. One of the
most common suggestions were to make Australia a republic,
which was voted down in a referendum in 1999. Prime Minister
Rudd had during his overseas trip to the United States,
China and Europe in March-April, when he, among others, met
with Queen Elizabeth II, told the press that he has been a
Republican all his life but that a new referendum on the
issue was not a high priority. Other proposals that emerged
at the forum were to reform the Constitution of 1901, review
the tax system and create mechanisms for environmental
improvements.
Australia's first female general governor, the lawyer and
former Queensland governor Quentin Bryce was sworn in on
September 5. She succeeded Michael Jeffrey in the post which
formally represents the British monarch but in practice has
limited power. It was speculated whether she would become
Australia's last general governor, should the country become
a republic and cease to have the British monarch as the
formal head of state. Bryce, like the Prime Minister, is a
Republican and a large part of the population is expected to
support the establishment of the Republic.
In mid-September, the Liberal Party got a new leader when
Malcolm Turnbull won by four votes over Brendan Nelson, who
had taken over the party leader post after Howard in the
fall of 2007. Turnbull is a millionaire, a former lawyer and
was environment minister in Howard's government. Nelson had
been accused of not being strong enough as opposition leader
against the prime minister and Labor leader Kevin Rudd,
whose popularity rose during his first year in power. A
survey from late autumn 2008 showed that he then had the
support of 68 percent of voters.
In December, Rudd presented new measures to improve the
climate. Australia will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by
5-15 per cent by 2020. The Green Party and environmental
organizations immediately criticized the plan for being
insufficient.
|
