Australia has agreed to pay reparations to the Stolen Generations – the young children of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander origin who had been put in foster care with white families under an official assimilation policy that Australia continued to pursue into the 1970s.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison (right) told Parliament on Thursday that A$378.6 million ($279.97m) would be allocated to redress the human damage of the policy, including one-off payments of A$75,000 ($55,462.50) for its victims.
The reparation fund is part of a one-billion Australian dollar ($739.2m) federal government initiative that aims to address the serious disadvantages faced by the country’s 700,000 Indigenous people who rank near the bottom of nearly every economic and social indicator in comparison with other Australians.
The Healing Foundation, a campaign group for the Stolen Generation said the reparations were a “major step” towards addressing the harm caused to Indigenous Australians by government policies and were long overdue.
In 2008, former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd made a formal apology for what had happened, describing it as a “great stain on the nation’s soul”.
Anyway, Morrison’s announcement came three months after 800 survivors in the Northern Territory launched a class-action suit against the federal government in the New South Wales Supreme Court seeking reparations, covering a period ranging from 1910 to the 1970s.
It’s about time!
On Thursday, Celtic exposed their defensive frailties yet again – but they were very lucky to escape severe punishment when they prevailed 4-2 over FK Jablonec in the first leg of the third qualifying round of the Europa League.
The goals came from Liel Abada (12), Kyogo Furuhashi (16), James Forrest (64), and Ryan Christie (90).
This two-goal lead gives Celtic a handsome lead to take into the second leg in Glasgow next Thursday.
Yesterday too, the Reds played two 60-minute games in a pre-season double-header versus Bologna Football Club 1909 in Evian, France.
Liverpool’s first fixture ended in a comfortable 2-0 win for the Reds. And in the second fixture, a new-look Liverpool side again produced another useful exercise as they came away with a 1-0 win from their friendly against Bologna.
Nothing really impressive about the games – but strange as it may sound, what had raised everyone’s eyebrows was that the players were in red shirts, black shorts and white socks. Aarrgghh!!
Indeed, they looked like the rabble from down the road! I'm referring to Manchester United for those ignoramuses amongst you!
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