Australia’s apology for military abuse rapped as rushed
Australia’s apology to sex abuse victims in the military was criticised on Tuesday as too rushed to allow the victims to witness it, even as it was welcomed as a necessary step.
When then-prime minister Kevin Rudd apologised in 2008 to the Aboriginal “stolen generations” of people taken from their families, large crowds were in Canberra to witness the historic occasion inside and outside parliament.
But when Defence Minister Stephen Smith delivered the apology to those abused in the military in parliament on Monday, his speech came just hours after the announcement that it would be made.
“The substance of the apology was great, the timing was lousy,” Independent Senator Nick Xenophon said.
“It’s baffling as to why he didn’t give warning to victims and victim groups in order that they could actually be in the chamber. That’s part of the healing process.”
Smith said the most important thing was that the apology was made in a timely matter. “My worry is that if it wasn’t done now, it wouldn’t be done until next year,” he told Sky News.
“This is unlike some of the other apologies we’ve seen where you’ve had longstanding groups in the community agitating for a change of view that’s important to Australian society.
“On this occasion, we’ve had people who... don’t want any publicity, want their privacy protected. And in the end, the most important thing is the giving of the apology.”
John Dawe, who was subjected to an unofficial initiation rite in the navy in 2008, agreed he would not have wanted to witness the apology but his wife and father would have wanted to attend.
“If we had known in time it would have meant a lot to be there,” he told
