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Inner North Community Meeting

Dear Inner North Residents,

As part of my ongoing program of meeting residents in my electorate, I will be hosting a community meeting in Downer in May and hope that you will be able to join me. I believe that it is important that I keep in touch with you, and I am interested to hear from you.

The details of the meeting are:

Date: Tuesday 20 May 2008

Time: 10:00am - 11:30am

Place: Downer Community Centre

Frencham Place

Downer

If there are any issues of interest or of concern to you or your family, I hope that you will come and discuss them informally with us over a cup of tea or coffee.

If you are able to join me, I would appreciate you advising my office on 6247 4396 or 6247 4037 by Tuesday 20 May.

I look forward to seeing you. If this time is not convenient for you and you need assistance or wish to discuss an issue with me, please contact my electorate office.

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National Apology Day

"Today we honour the Indigenous peoples of this land, the oldest continuing cultures in human history.

We reflect on their past mistreatment.

We reflect in particular on the mistreatment of those who were Stolen Generations—this blemished chapter in our nation’s history.

The time has now come 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.

To the mothers and the fathers, the brothers and the sisters, for the breaking up of families and communities, we say sorry.

And for the indignity and degradation thus inflicted on a proud people and a proud culture, we say sorry.

We the Parliament of Australia respectfully request that this apology be received in the spirit in which it is offered as part of the healing of the nation.

For the future we take heart; resolving that this new page in the history of our great continent can now be written.

We today take this first step by acknowledging the past and laying claim to a future that embraces all Australians.

A future where this Parliament resolves that the injustices of the past must never, never happen again.

A future where we harness the determination of all Australians, Indigenous and non-Indigenous, to close the gap that lies between us in life expectancy, educational achievement and economic opportunity.

A future where we embrace the possibility of new solutions to enduring problems where old approaches have failed.

A future based on mutual respect, mutual resolve and mutual responsibility.

A future where all Australians, whatever their origins, are truly equal partners, with equal opportunities and with an equal stake in shaping the next chapter in the history of this great country, Australia."

Motion moved by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, 13 February 2008

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MySpace

I have set up a Myspace page in order to give people another way to communicate with me. You can access it at http://www.myspace.com/bobmcmullan.