Descendants of the South Sea Islanders forced or duped into a form of slavery on Australian plantations hope a historic apology from the mayor of Bundaberg will set a national precedent and provide the catalyst for atonement at the highest reaches of government.
This will be especially welcomed after Prime Minister Scott Morrison last year dismissed the notion of slavery ever existing in Australia.
Jack Dempsey will on Friday become Australia’s first elected leader to formally say sorry to Pacific Islanders for the indentured labour trade known as “blackbirding” that helped enrich the fledgling Queensland region and its sugarcane barons in the latter half of the 19th century.