The question of an apology: reconciliation and civility

Australian Journal of Human Rights

Volumn 7, Issue 1, 2001, Pages 77-90

  Grace, Damian ^a  

^a UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES   (Australia)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

EID: 84967115129     PISSN: 1323238X     EISSN: 2573573X     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1080/1323238X.2001.11911052     Document Type: Article

References (26)

1. Shils E, ‘Civility and Civil Society: good manners between persons and concern for the common good in public affairs’ in Grosby S, (ed) The Virtue of Civility (Liberty Fund, Indianapolis, 1997) pp 71–4.
2. For an interesting argument that connects good manners with the moral duty to acknowledging the dignity of others see Buss S ‘Appearing Respectful: the moral significance of manners’ (1999) 109 Ethics 795.
3. Aristotle — R Crisp (ed and trans) Nicomachenn Ethics (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2000) 1166a.
4. MacIntyre A, After Virtue (University of Notre Dame Press, Notre Dame, 1981) pp 146–8.
5. See Ewin R Co-operation and Human Values (Harvester, Brighton, 1981).
6. MacIntyre, above note 4, p 146
7. Grattan M, and Metherell M, ‘Howard worst prime minister ever: Perkins’ The Sydney Morning Herald 22 May 2000 p 2.
8. For an argument that emotional acknowledgment is integral to the understanding of certain events see Rai Gaita's discussion of the judgments of Justices Deane and Gaudron in Mabo in Gaita R A Common Humanity (Text Publishing, Melbourne 1999) pp 88–92; pp 101,105.
9. All references to the Motion of Reconciliation are based on ‘Transcript of the Prime Minister The Hon John Howard MP, Motion of Reconciliation’, .
10. The Prime Minister spoke of indigenous leaders having ‘come halfway. They have recognised that, in order, to move forward, there has to be an understanding of some of the concerns and some of the reservations that were genuinely felt by people in the Australian community on this issue and which prevented them, and continue to prevent them, from embracing, in quite the terms that were asked for several years ago, the sort of reaction and the sort of formal national responses that were called for then and may still be called for today…’ This is Prime Ministerial code for refusing to apologise.
11. Rawls J, Political Liberalism (Columbia University Press, New York, 1993) pp 212–18.
12. Howard J, ‘We must build on Sydney spirit’ The Australian 25 October 2000 p 11.
13. According to an Australian Newspoll, most Australians do not support an official apology to Aborigines but do favour reconciliation: Shanahan D ‘Majority oppose apology to Aborigines’ The Australian 7 June 2000, p 2.
14. MacIntyre, above note 8, pp 122–3.
15. See the editorial in Nature 24 February 2000: ‘Hollow apologies should be avoided’ p 813 See also letters from Wirsing B ‘Not too late to apologize’ Nature 16 March 2000 p 222; and Grace D and Carmody J ‘We have moral authority to apologize for the past’ Nature 1 June 2000 p 508.
16. Quoted in Jopson D ‘Pearson says bureaucracies perpetuate welfare dependency’ The Sydney Morning Herald 2 October 2000 p 3.
17. This view of the organisation has been hotly contested by some philosophers who have tried to find in it analogies to human sentience and action Hence, organisations are supposed to have a mode of practical reasoning and therefore conscience because they have a rational decision making process. I do not wish to enter into this debate here because my argument does not require it.
18. Goldhagen D, Hitler's Willing Executioners (Abacus, London, 1997).
19. In August 2000, Mr Peter Howson presented a submission to the Senate Legal and Constitutional References Committee's inquiry into the stolen generations. In part of his submission, Howson claimed that during his period of office, ‘only a handful of children were removed from their families each year for reasons of child neglect or clan exclusion’ This contrasts with evidence contained in the report. Sheehan P ‘Stolen generations report a ‘disgrace”’ Sydney Morning Herald 19 August 2000 p 10. The most recent historical debate centres on the journal, Quadrant, and particularly a revisionist article that appeared in it by Windschuttle K ‘The Break-Up of Australia’ Quadrant September 2000 pp 8–16 See Blackford R ‘The Inward Journey of Raimond Gaita’ in the same issue.
20. Jopson D, above note 16 and Saunders M ‘Shake-up looming for black affairs’ The Australian 25 October 2000 p 4
21. Williams B, ‘Politics and Moral Character’ in Hampshire S, (ed) Public and Private Morality (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1978) pp 55–74.
22. O'Loughlin J, ‘Personal histories at the core: an edited text of Justice O'Loughlin’s judgment The Weekend Australian August 12–13 2000 p 6.
23. Saunders M, ‘Herron rules out claims tribunal’ The Weekend Australian August 12–13 2000 p 7.
24. Toohey P and Saunders M ‘Stolen children cases fail’ The Weekend Australian August 12–13 2000 p 1.
25. Wright S, ‘Reconciliation: a lot to learn’ Sydney Morning Herald 22 May 2000 p 19.
26. ‘Apology made by John Howard on the 3rd of July on National TV’ The Games Australian Broadcasting Commission: