PM sorry for slavery gaffe
SCOTT Morrison has apologised for remarks about slavery in Australia and tried to distance himself from “history wars”.
The Prime Minister drew widespread criticism after saying on Thursday “there was no slavery in Australia” when the country was founded.
Mr Morrison said his comments were about how NSW was settled on principles which included that the colony was not to have slavery.
“My comments were not intended to give offence and if they did, I deeply regret that and apologise for that,” he told reporters in Canberra yesterday. Mr Morrison acknowledged “all sorts of hideous practices” had been waged against indigenous people.
“In Australia, we know we have had problems in our past. We have acknowledged those,” he said.
The Prime Minister also described indigenous incarceration rates as heartbreaking, saying there was a commitment to act and no shortage of funding to address the problem.
Indigenous historian Bruce Pascoe was among those to criticise Mr Morrison’s remarks on slavery.
“It’s pretty obvious that when you chain people up by the neck and force them to march 300km and then work on cattle stations for non-indigenous barons, then that is slavery,” Mr Pascoe told ABC radio.
He said Australia needed to confront and acknowledge its past – good and bad.
Black Lives Matter has shone a light on Australia’s systemic mistreatment of Aboriginal people.
Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton lashed out at an apparent rash of “cancel culture” in response to the protests.
Netflix has pulled four shows featuring controversial Australian performer Chris Lilley and there are supposedly calls to topple statues of British explorer Captain James Cook.
“I don’t think ripping pages out of history books and brushing over parts of history you don’t agree with or you don’t like is really something the Australian public is going to embrace,” Mr Dutton told Nine.
Mr Dutton said Netflix’s decision to remove the Chris Lilley shows, depicting the comedian in a range of characters, including in blackface, was absurd. The Prime Minister said he had bigger priorities.
“I’m not interested in what they’re showing on streaming services. I’m interested in getting Australians back to work,” Mr Morrison said.
TWO women have been jailed for a series of “vile” assaults on a toddler, leaving him with extensive bruises and lacerations.
The women, who cannot be named for legal reasons, both pleaded guilty in the Brisbane District Court to child cruelty and a string of assault charges.
One woman is the toddler’s mother, while the other was her partner at the time of the offences.
The boy was aged three when he was found by police and had a wasted appearance from “chronic malnutrition”.
The women were yesterday given a head sentence of three years and six months in jail.
A HUMAN jaw bone with some teeth still in place has been found on a beach on the NSW Central Coast, sparking a police investigation.
A member of the public found the bone at Umina Beach on Thursday afternoon.
Police established a crime scene and said the bone would undergo forensic testing.
Detective Chief Inspector Steve Laksa said yesterday authorities would speak to the missing persons registry in relation to the bone.
“We don’t know if it’s 12 months old, 100 years old ... we have to keep an open mind,” Det Chief Insp Laksa said.