2. This generation of Aboriginal Australians consist of mainly the first or second generations after those that
were killed. Most would not have ever seen their grandparents. There are even those whose parents were killed when they were
very young, This was the work of the white English invaders who claimed the land as their own.
In the time of Captain Cook, Australia was proclaimed ‘Terra Nullus’. They believed that no one owned Australia and there was freedom to claim it. When Captain Cook arrived, he resorted to mass killing the original inhabitants.
This was cruel and unfair, aswell as a terrible thing to do. But should the aboriginals be so possessive towards this land?
This may be where they have lived for centuries, but it is not a matter of who got there first. We all have a right
to live here. Even the aboriginals were not first born here. Thousands of years ago when humanity first appeared, we were
all in Africa. And so, everyone has the right to live everywhere else. The colour of our skin or background should not determine
who gets to live where.
Much of the Aboriginal culture was forbidden by the English. They thought of them as less important. The most probable
reason for why the Aboriginals are so upset is that throughout their known history, they were never invaded. Since Australia is an island, they never experienced the threat of invasion, and are unused to territory wars. Most countries are
surrounded by others and they would often be at war. The native Aboriginals were caught unprepared. The uncompassionate way
to see it is that are crying over spilt milk
There is much debate over whether the Australian government need or should say sorry to the Aboriginals. John Howard,
who is currently out prime minister, was once a lawyer. He fought against apologising. The side he took may portray his views;
however, lawyers fight for their client, regardless of whether they are right or wrong. We have not yet apologised to the
Aboriginals for claiming their land without any legal agreement
Australia is a amazingly culturally diverse nation. There are a greater number of other nationality immigrants or descendants
of such who did not originate in England. By apologising, most of us would be speaking sorrow for what we had no part
in. Even those whose ancestors were of the English land claimers, were not the ones who took the lands themselves. We would
be saying ‘sorry’ for what we have not done.
On the other hand, you can interpret ‘sorry’ in the form that you are sad that their culture was disrupted.
If you take it this way, most people would apologise on the spot. It is not a matter of wishing to apologise, but the problem
of interpretation
The discussion of apologising is caught in a misunderstanding. It would be beneficial if an Aboriginal leader were
to announce his people’s wants. It is probably best that the government apologise to the Aboriginals, whether or not
they mean it. This will definitely ease some tension.
