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Firstly, with respect I acknowledge that I am here on the Country of the Tharawal People and I say thank you to Marg Cook and other Tharawal members for their warm welcome to participants of this conference on Reparations. A special welcome to my Stolen Generation brothers and sisters and to Commissioner Brian Butler, ATSIC's Social Justice Commissioner who has for many years worked tirelessly…

Welcome to Conference. Thank you for warm welcome, Marjie Cook, and for the opportunity to gather on your land over the next two days to consider the critical issues of identity and justice for the Stolen Generations.

The NCCA comprises fifteen Protestant, Anglican, Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches. The Council is not a "superchurch," with authority over its member churches. I can tell you what I believe the churches are thinking and doing. I can advise them as to what they ought to be thinking and doing. But I cannot command them. Each church is autonomous, making decisions according to its own…

I write to alert you to a Federal Government proposal to abolish the post of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner (together with the posts of Race Discrimination Commissioner, Sex Discrimination Commissioner, Disability Discrimination Commissioner and Human Rights Commissioner). Those interested in this matter may wish to make a submission to the Senate Legal and…

I would like to thank the Minister, Philip Ruddock, his Opposition counterpart, Bob McMullan, and Australian Democrats deputy leader, Senator Aden Ridgeway, for their contributions today. It is now my task, on behalf of ATSIC, to give a response to the plans outlined by the major political parties as to how they would move the stolen generations issue forward.

Having said that, I thank the organisers for the opportunity to put to you an honest explanation of the government's position on these important matters.

Tena koutou katoa. I have no expert knowledge of the legal or political context in Australia insofar as it applies to indigenous peoples here and even less on the issue of the controversial topic of the stolen generations. It would be utterly inappropriate therefore for me to express any view on the issues particular to this country. What I can do is talk to you a little bit about the process…

Acknowledgement of guests from overseas, Parliamentary colleagues, Social Justice Commissioner Mr Bill Jonas, Justice Elizabeth Evatt, ATSIC Commissioners, distinguished guests.

The first is that the title UNFINISHED BUSINESS happens to be the title of a book in whose authorship I have collaborated. The book's title is UNFINISHED BUSINESS : SOUTH AFRICA, APARTHEID AND TRUTH. You can order the book from a website, details of which you can get from Terry Bell at belnews@wn.apc.org. For every book purchased, the author and I have agreed a free copy will be donated to an NGO.

The French version of this speech is available from the offices of the Law Commission of Canada, 473 Albert Street, 11th floor, Ottawa, K1A 0H8, and will be available on the web site www.cdc.gc.ca.ù