Up to one million people were estimated to have signed `sorry books' in the lead-up to the historic day when the Aboriginal flag flew from the National Parliament building in Canberra. Catholic leaders asked Aborigines for forgiveness, New South Wales Governor Gordon Samuels called on Australians to acknowledge past wrongs and even the conservative state premier of Victoria Jeff Kennett, said: ``Yes, we can say sorry and mean it.''

But the conservative Prime Minister stuck steadfastly by his refusal to make a formal apology on behalf of Australian governments responsible for the hundreds ofthousands of Aboriginal children torn from their families for a century up to late 1960s.

Many still bear the scars of the physical, sexual and psychological abuse which the Human Rights Commission report found they suffered in the white institutions and foster homes they were sent to. ``Although in a personal sense many Australians will feel sorrow and regret in relation to past injustices suffered by sections of the Australian community, it is the view of my government that a formal national apology, of the type sought by others, is not appropriate,'' Howard told Parliament.

The Labour opposition and minor parties in Parliament condemned the government stance as a national embarrassment. `If you are a person who has become aware of a great injustice and you are part of a process which has assisted in producing those injustices, then it's a pretty poor, weak character who can't actually come out and say `sorry','' Opposition leader Kim Beazley said.