Fine legacy of a shining moment

EVERY prime minister nurses an ambition to unite the country. By virtue of their leadership, they strive to uplift the nation, inspire others and leave a legacy for future generations.

Few of our national leaders come close to realising this aspiration. But five years ago, Kevin Rudd succeeded when he drew together the vast majority of Australians in a spirit of goodwill to turn the page on our blighted racial past.

This week marks the fifth anniversary of the national apology to the Stolen Generations. Rudd's 30-minute speech went beyond symbolism; it pledged a new beginning in indigenous policy.

It was a speech that stopped the nation. The galleries of the House of Representatives were full. On the lawn outside Parliament House, and in hundreds of other public squares, in classrooms and workplaces, on television and radio, millions turned their eyes and ears towards the new prime minister.

"When I sat down to write the speech," Rudd told me in an interview in October 2010, "I had serious writer's block." None of the ideas suggested by his staff and others "captured my imagination". It was a visit with a member of the Stolen Generations, Nanna Fejo, that helped him to "achieve the empathy" he needed to write the speech.

He was still writing at 3am on the morning it was to be delivered. He was up again at 7am to continue writing. When Leader of the House Anthony Albanese met Rudd to walk to the chamber for the speech, Rudd was still dictating the conclusion.

"The time has now come," Rudd said, "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. We apologise for the laws and policies of successive parliaments and governments that have inflicted profound grief, suffering and loss on these our fellow Australians.

"We apologise especially for the removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families, their communities and their country. For the pain, suffering and hurt of these Stolen Generations, their descendants and for their families left behind, we say sorry."

It is the finest speech delivered by any Australian politician in the past two decades. The expectations were huge. It could easily have failed if the tone, delivery or the substance behind it had been disappointing. But the speech was carefully crafted with a mix of beautiful phrases, personal stories and hard facts. It was a cool appeal to humanity.

It was a cathartic moment for the nation. The twin messages of recognition and reconciliation, without apportioning guilt, resonated. It succeeded because of the force of its argument -- the vital element in any great speech -- that unless the apology was coupled with practical measures to improve the lives of indigenous Australians, the words would ring hollow.

The notion of an apology had been at the centre of a divisive debate since the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission had conducted an inquiry into the forced separation of indigenous children from their families in the mid-1990s. In June 1997, Newspoll recorded 50 per cent support for an apology and 40 per cent opposition. By mid-2000, 45 per cent of respondents were in favour of an apology and 37 per cent against. But then-prime minister John Howard refused to deliver an apology. He badly misjudged the mood of the nation and missed an opportunity to demonstrate leadership.

Formal apologies were delivered or supported by conservative governments led by Jeff Kennett (Victoria), Richard Court (Western Australia), John Olsen (South Australia), Tony Rundle (Tasmania) and Kate Carnell (ACT). Apologies were also delivered by Labor governments led by Bob Carr (NSW), Peter Beattie (Queensland) and Clare Martin (Northern Territory). Federal opposition leader Kim Beazley apologised on behalf of the ALP.

It was left to Rudd as prime minister to lead where Howard had failed. The public responded favourably. After the apology was delivered, 69 per cent supported Rudd's speech and only 26 per cent were against it. Howard was the only living former prime minister not to be present when the speech was delivered.

Rudd says he wasn't sure what the political impact would be. "Given the debate in the country over the previous decade, I thought it would be, on balance, negative. But I had no final view."

The speech was controversial within the government. Rudd says he was advised by MPs and party officials to consider not giving it. "The political smart class around town," he says, believed it was "very dangerous". He was told to "get it done, get it done quickly and get it over with".

What matters now is the future. Rudd pledged to "close the gap" with a suite of measures to alleviate disadvantage in indigenous communities. The speech bequeathed a bipartisan policy commitment, driven in partnership between state and federal governments, to focus on improving health, education and employment. This is monitored, measured and reported.

The 2013 Closing the Gap report, released last week, shows progress is mixed, but improvements are being made. One of the targets met is providing 95 per cent of four-year-old indigenous children in remote areas access to education. Child mortality has declined. Positive results are being achieved in employment, education and training.

Tackling the wicked problems of violence, alcohol and drug abuse, welfare dependency and reducing rates of imprisonment cannot be left to government alone. Some of the most effective results are being achieved by private and charitable organisations.

As Rudd acknowledged in a heartfelt speech on Friday, the apology was effective because it joined his personal commitment with a political and institutional commitment to future action. Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott also spoke well when the report was tabled in parliament.

The apology and the attendant Closing the Gap policy commitment is a reminder of what we have gained but also of what is rare in modern politics: real leadership, defined by intellect, imagination and courage.

Rudd was a far from perfect prime minister; he made many mistakes and misjudgments. But his national apology to the Stolen Generations was his finest moment as prime minister.