PREVIOUSLY SLUGGED: AUSTRALIA SORRY OR NOT? Ceremonies have been held around Australia to mark a day of national mourning for aboriginal children forcibly separated from their parents early in the century.

As part of the commemoration, entitled "Sorry Day", the state government in New South Wales which is led by the Australian Labor Party plans to give an aboriginal name to Botany Bay, where the English explorer Captain James Cook, first set foot on Australian soil.

But the federal government has largely boycotted events.

The conservative federal prime minister, John Howard, has said that while he's personally sorry for past events, he could not apologise for the actions of previous governments.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service
 

Back to top | BBC News Home | BBC Homepage	©