An open letter to my aboriginal compatriots

Confronted with complaints and grievances in the past, the British government had argued that it could not be held responsible for the misdeeds of its colonial predecessors and that too much time had elapsed for a fair trial.

The High Court of Westminster categorically dismissed these arguments in the “Mau Mau torture case”.  It also dismissed the argument that the victims should be suing the Kenyan government, not the British.  The judge, Lord Justice McCombe, declared that a fair trial was possible and highlighted the fact that thousands of documents had been found in a secret Foreign Office archive containing files from dozens of former colonies. The High Court granted permission on 5 October 2012 to the victims of abuses of colonisation to claim damages from the British government.

Given the excellent relations between the U.K. and Australia, it should not be necessary to resort to the courts to settle such a delicate matter as the injustices caused by British colonisation.  But we have a moral obligation to take the initiative of instigating negotiations with the British government to settle this thorny issue once and for all.  It weighs heavily on our national conscience and we should no longer content ourselves with sweeping it under the carpet.

The withdrawal of the U.K. from the European Union may be a good opportunity to broach the matter with our British friends in the lead-up to Brexit.  A new bi-lateral trade agreement will have to be hammered out between our two countries in which Australia will logically have the stronger hand and greater bargaining power.  

Also, it is difficult to imagine that Queen Elizabeth could possibly be insensitive to the tragic events of colonisation.  That would be totally out of keeping with the long-standing relationship of mutual affection she enjoys with the Australian people.  This, together with her personal stature and exceptionally long reign singles her out for the noble task of restoring the dignity of the world’s oldest surviving human civilisation, Australia’s aboriginal peoples.

As for you, my Aboriginal compatriots, I put my trust in your renowned ancestral wisdom to accompany this process that I take the liberty of advocating here, in the spirit of “dadirri” which Miriam Rose describes in such admirable and reverent terms.