NSW: Ruddock says reparations tribunal won't work

AAP General News (Australia)
08-16-2001
NSW: Ruddock says reparations tribunal won't work

Talks about a reparations tribunal to heal the stolen generation have ended with Reconciliation
Minister PHILIP RUDDOCK telling Aboriginal leaders the plan won't work.

The two-day Moving Forward national conference in Sydney has heard how Aboriginal and
human rights groups favour a tribunal to handle compensation measures.

The forum was told this would be a way of bypassing expensive and lengthy court battles.

But Mr RUDDOCK says a tribunal won't avoid the trauma of reliving past events and it
would be costly to verify events which happened in the distant past.

And, Mr RUDDOCK says there would still be litigation from people not satisfied by the tribunal.

AAP RTV gmw/wz/jn

KEYWORD: RECONCILE (SYDNEY)

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