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The Australian Prime Minister has officially said sorry to indigenous Australians for past injustices. Kevin Rudd paid particular attention to the Stolen Generations, where thousands of indigenous children were taken from their parents. Addressing a packed House of Representatives this morning (2/13), Mr Rudd said the Parliament apologised for laws and policies which had "inflicted profound grief, suffering and loss on these our fellow Australians."
"For the pain, suffering and hurt of these Stolen Generations, their descendants and for their families left behind, we say sorry. To the mothers and the fathers, the brothers and the sisters, for the breaking up of families and communities, we say sorry. And for the indignity and degradation thus inflicted on a proud people and a proud culture, we say sorry."
He continued: "We the Parliament of Australia respectfully request that this apology be received in the spirit in which it is offered as part of the healing of the nation. For the future we take heart, resolving that this new page in the history of our great continent can now be written. We today take this first step by acknowledging the past and laying claim to a future that embraces all Australians ... A future where all Australians, whatever their origins, are truly equal partners, with equal opportunities and with an equal stake in shaping the next chapter in the history of this great country, Australia."
East Timor's president, Jose Ramos Horta, and two other people, have been shot during an assassination attempt at his home. Jose Ramos Horta was shot in the stomach when gunmen opened fire outside his home before dawn. President Ramos Horta is in a serious but stable condition at the Royal Darwin Hospital in Australia's Northern Territory. Royal Darwin Hospital says he is suffering from three gunshot wounds - two to the upper chest and one to the abdomen. East Timor's prime minister, Xanana Gusmao, has confirmed the rebel fugitive Alfredo Renaido was shot dead in cross-fire during this morning's attack on President Ramos-Horta. He has described the attack on the president as an 'attempted coup'. Meanwhile, an East Timor government spokesman says the president of parliament, Fernando Lasala, will be the acting president. Mr Lasala has cut short a trip to Lisbon and is on his way back to Dili. Vice president of the parliament, Vincente Guterres, is currently acting-president until Mr Lasala's return. Former prime minister, Mari Alkatiri, has issued a statement, condemning the attack. The statement has also suggested the prime minister, Xanana Gusmao, was attacked but the United Nations is saying he is safe in his office. The United Nations Mission in Dili says it is coordinating with the International Security Forces. 東帝汶政局再次陷入緊張政府宣布全國進入緊急狀態。總統奧爾塔遇襲後送到澳洲進行了三小時手術，清除子彈碎片和清理傷口，仍未脫離危險期。主診醫生說，奧爾塔失血過多胸口和背部軟組織嚴重受損仍然昏迷，要靠儀器維持呼吸但比早前穩定。東帝汶叛軍2/11向總統官邸開槍，奧爾塔中彈，總理古斯芒的車隊亦遭叛軍伏擊，他並無受傷。
Chinese authorities have expressed concern over the business implications of impending changes to the Northern Marianas' immigration system. Luo Xiadong, director of the Chinese Economic Development Association, says (Feb 2008) some investors from mainland China want to do business in the Northern Marianas. But he says they are holding off their plans pending the move to federalise the islands' immigration system. He says investors are worried it may be difficult for them to enter the islands' once the US federal government takes over. He says the investors want to bring in more Chinese workers to the islands. The US federalisation move, however, seeks to reduce the islands' dependence on foreign workers over the next several years. Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) is a self-governing territory of the United States. It currently hosts more than 20,000 foreign workers, mostly from China and the Philippines.
'Stain on the soul of the nation'
Mr Rudd says the apology is being made to "remove a great stain on the soul of the nation."
"The time has come, well and truly come, for all peoples of our great country ... all Australians, those who are Indigenous and those who are not, to come together, to reconcile, and build a future for our great nation."
Mr Rudd told the chamber the moving story of one member of the Stolen Generations, taken from her family in the Northern Territory.
He spoke of the "sheer brutality" of separating a mother from her children, which he described as "a deep assault on our senses and our most elemental humanity".
Mr Rudd says reconciliation is a reflection of a core tenet of Australian society: the concept of a fair go for all.
"For our nation, the course of action is clear ... and that is to deal now with what has become one of the darkest chapters in our nation's history," he said.
"In doing so, we are also wrestling with our own souls.
"As Prime Minister of Australia, I am sorry. On behalf of the Government of Australia, I am sorry. On behalf of the Parliament of Australia, I am sorry. And I offer you this apology without qualification."
Hopes for new era
Mr Rudd said he hoped today's apology would open a new era in Australian history.
"We have had sufficient audacity and faith to advance part way to that future, with arms extended rather than with fists still clenched. Let us allow this day of national reconciliation to become one of those rare moments in which we might just be able to transform the way in which the nation thinks about itself. For the nation to bring the first two centuries of our settled history to a close ... and embrace with awe these ancient cultures which we are blessed, truly blessed to have among us."
Mr Rudd's speech was greeted with prolonged applause from both sides of the House and from those gathered outside.
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Kevin Rudd has officially said sorry (2/13) to indigenous Australians for past injustices. SB120285819967663647
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ECONOMY
Australia's Reserve Bank (RBA) says China will continue to experience strong economic growth for many years to come. The Reserve Bank has released the text of a presentation given earlier in the week by its governor, Glenn Stevens. He told a closed-door Treasury seminar that the rise of China was not a flash in the pan of economic history, and that short of some catastrophic event, China had many years of strong growth still ahead. Mr Stevens added that Australia, more than almost any other country, was benefiting from the big shift in relative prices flowing from the Chinese-fuelled commodities boom. While that's boosted Australia's national income, the central bank chief believes the local economy has coped well with the inflationary impact, compared with such booms in the 1950s and 1970s.
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The Australian government is to review its free trade negotiations with China. The federal trade minister, Simon Crean, wants to hear from Beijing whether it remains committed to finalising negotiations that have been ongoing since 2005. A bilateral free trade agreement with China is expected to bring multi-billion dollar benefits to Australia's economy. There has been little progress however on specific areas such as intellectual property and services through ten rounds of talks. Mr Crean says it will be a priority for the government in coming months. "Is China serious about an FTA? I don't know," he said. "That's something we're going to have to engage them with. I think we have to test the political will as to how serious they are to make our decision about how to proceed next with the FTA. The huge opportunity for us is in services and that's the area that they're resisting." Mr Crean is to visit Beijing in March.
The Australian sharemarket is in a tailspin amid fears that Asia has been caught up in the US economy's slowdown. The All Ordinaries has shed close to five per cent, with similar falls also being experienced in New Zealand, Japan, Malaysia, Taiwan and Hong Kong. Local stocks are declining for a record 12th day in a row but today's (1/22) drop is severe, with the market down 4.9 per cent. All Ordinaries index lost 409-points and now stands at 5,222, the level it was at in October 2006. The plunge comes after London's FTSE 100 experienced its worst fall since the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001. The signals are even worse for Wall Street when it reopens after a long weekend. As global investors shy away from risk, the Australian dollar has falled 1.5 cents overnight to a one-month low of 86.03 US cents. The Australian sharemarket fell (1/21) for an 11th consecutive day -- its longest losing streak in 26 years, weighed down by heavy selling in financial stocks. S&P/ASX 200 index closed down 2.9%, or 166.9 points, at 5580.4. The index has now fallen 18.6% from its record high 6851.5 in November -- approaching the 20% level that defines a bear market.
澳洲股市連跌十一日，再跌近3%，悉尼所有普通股指數跌168點，收報5630點，重回一年低位。
WITH more than AUD150 billion wiped out this year, there's no sign the bloodbath on the bourse is abating: the ASX 200 index chalked up its longest losing streak in 16 years yesterday (2008/1/18) as investors dumped companies that could be hit by the global credit crunch and a downturn in the United States. The benchmark S&P/ASX200 index closed off 0.8 per cent, or 48.8 points, at 5747.30, with commodity and energy stocks leading declines. The broader All Ordinaries fell 1 per cent, or 57.6 points, to 5799.40.
澳洲股市連跌十日，是廿六年來延續最長跌市。悉尼所有普通股指數收市報5799點，跌57點，跌幅近1%。澳洲股市在1982年連跌十三日。A late rally failed to snap the Australian stock market's 10-day losing streak - the longest since the index was launched in 1992. U.S.-exposed stocks bore the brunt following a tumble on Wall Street overnight. Bargain-hunters emerged in the afternoon, pulling up major banks and helping the index recoup some of its losses.
ANZ Banking Group President Bob Kirkby is one of 20 Australian businessmen accompanying Prime Minister John Howard on a recent trade mission to India.
Commonwealth Bank
Macquarie Bank
Woodside Petroleum
Fox Group
BHP Billiton
Rio Tinto
Qantas Airways
Sydney Airport Corp
Leighton Holdings
Woolworths
AMP
IAG
Australia & New Zealand Banking Group
Commonwealth Bank of Australia
Macquarie Bank
National Australia Bank
St George Bank
Westpac Banking
BHP Billiton
Rio Tinto
Coca-Cola Amatil
Coles Myer
David Jones
Foster's Group
Harvey Norman Holdings Ltd
News Corp
Optus
Qantas Airways
Telstra
Westfield Holdings
Woolworths Ltd
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