Sorry for empty post...Here it is:
Yeah, apology was nice and overdue...but apology that Rudd offered does not mean compensation too (they strictly made it clear).Yes Australians (a lot of them) wanted this apology to happen for the sake of their consciousness but things did not change much in their minds. All though Aborigines are not that much adaptive to western way of life as let say Maoris in New Zealand. That cause a lot of trouble because government here keep trying to push them in to it and they resist. Howard started intervention program that included Army intervention...Aborigines hate it greatly. Rudd did not change much in this program. Unfortunately as I have seen here and in NZ when government gives money it is always leaders of native people that have benefits and down by the stream people actually never see that money. Leaders then keep their people as silent as possible their own way. There are signs of positive discrimination toward aborigines but I don't think that's the way too go to be honest...