Response and responsibilty

One year after the Apology to the Stolen Generations, Richard Mohr asks what we mean by 'responsibility' in the context of a government wishing to redress past wrongs. Looking specifically at the Intervention and the suspension of the Racial Discrimination Act, Richard argues that, for the Apology to have any meaning beyond 2008, it is important that the Commonwealth deliver on the concrete measures recommended in Bringing them Home, and provide Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people a guarantee against further racist polices, both now and in the future.