2. Australia – The harsh reality "A generation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children - Australian children - is at stake. Time is fast running out. This fact is acknowledged by Indigenous elders and leaders, as well as by government. There are just over half a million Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia today. There is an unacceptable gap in living standards, life expectancy and education, health and employment outcomes between them and non-Indigenous Australians. Action must be taken now to start closing the gap.” Source: The Policy Challenge www.budget.gov.au
3. Vision for the future “ The time has now come for the nation to turn a new page in Australia’s history by righting the wrongs of the past and so moving forward with confidence to the future. A future where we embrace the possibility of new solutions to enduring problems where old approaches have failed. 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.” The Hon. Kevin Rudd Prime Minister of Australia Excerpt from National Apology 13 February 2008