Senator Bob Collins asked the Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs, upon notice, on 19 December 1997:

(1) How many times has the Inter-departmental committee which was established by the Government to advise on its official response to the report, "Bringing them Home", met.

(2) Which departments or statutory authorities were represented on the committee.

(3) Was any advice from the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission on a suggested Government response to the report sought, independent of that provided by the Inter-departmental committee.

(4) Were any discussions sought with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission Board of Commissioners as part of the whole of government response to the report; if so (a) when; and (b) can any written advice which was received be provided; if not, why not.

(5) Is the $63 million assistance package over 4 years entirely `new' money or does the funding include monies already committed by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs Commission or other Government departments in the last Budget.

(6) Were any discussions or advice sought from the Government's Chief General Counsel, Mr Henry Burmester, following his advice to a Senate Estimates Committee in May 1997 that there was no legal impediment such as possible compensation claims, to the Government, providing a carefully worded apology to indigenous people; if so, when was that advice sought and received; if not, why not.

(7) Given Mr Burmester's advice, can you explain why the Government is adamant no apology can be given.

Senator Herron (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs) —has provided the following answer to the honourable senator's question:

(1) The inter-departmental committee met on 22 July 1997. Committee members then met on either a bilateral or trilateral basis on a number of occasions thereafter.

(2) Prime Minister and Cabinet (Chair); Attorney-General's; Immigration and Multicultural Affairs; Communications and the Arts; Health and Family Services; Employment, Education, Training and Youth Affairs; Finance; and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC).

(3) Yes.

(4) (a) Yes. The matter was raised at a number of ATSIC Board meetings when I was present. In addition, there has been correspondence between the Chairman of ATSIC and myself, and a number of discussions between ATSIC officials and Board members.

(4) (b) No. The correspondence referred to above concerns matters considered by Cabinet.

(5) Of the $63 million allocated $54 million is entirely new money. The remaining $9 million represents additional spending in the area of language and cultural centres and was allocated from ATSIC's discretionary budget.

(6) No. The issue of an apology was not under consideration. The Prime Minister had previously stated the government's position on a formal national apology in response to a question without notice from the Hon Kim Beazley MP, Leader of the Opposition, on 2 June 1997.

(7) An apology could imply that present generations are in some way responsible and accountable for the actions of earlier generations, actions that were sanctioned by the laws of the time, and that were believed to be in the best interests of the children concerned.