The proposed apology to the stolen generation is sparking new political tension as the Federal Government refuses to guarantee the wording will be made public before it is delivered in Parliament.
As well, advocacy groups said yesterday they were disappointed the Government would not pay compensation to the stolen generation but would pay for 70 people to attend the historic occasion, not all of them affected by removal from families.
Protests in Canberra over federal intervention in the Northern Territory could mar the first ever Welcome to Country ceremony for the opening of Federal Parliament.
The announcement yesterday of the protest march on Parliament came as Opposition Leader Brendan Nelson repeated that financial pressures on families should have higher priority than the apology.
His concerns have not been allayed by a private discussion with Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, with Dr Nelson pointedly saying trust was a two-way street.
"The consultation with Aboriginal groups and those who are advocates for Aboriginal people is right and to be encouraged," he said. "But so, too, there is surely a right for other Australians to be consulted and to know what is going to be proposed."
Dr Nelson, who will have further discussions with Mr Rudd next week, is insisting on seeing the wording of the apology before endorsing it.
"Mr Rudd has said the apology will be on behalf of the Australian Government and it seems to me a new concept that in some way the government is separate from the people of Australia," he said.
He is expected to hear harsh criticism of the proposed apology when Liberal MPs meet next week.
Dr Nelson rejected the claim by former Liberal prime minister Malcolm Fraser that the Liberal Party would be irrelevant if it did not back the apology.
Indigenous Affairs Minister Jenny Macklin confirmed the Government had not finalised the wording of the statement, which must satisfy Aboriginal communities and not leave the Government open to compensation claims.
She called on MPs from all parties to support the apology in principle before they see the wording.
"It's important that we recognise that this is a moment of national significance," she said.
Asked if the wording would be available publicly before the apology was delivered in Parliament, Ms Macklin said, "I would certainly hope that would be case."
She repeated that the apology would be delivered on behalf of the Government.
"It certainly does not attribute guilt to the current generation of Australian people," she said.
Ms Macklin said the Government was still discussing with the two major groups representing members of the stolen generation about who would be invited to Parliament to hear the apology.
Stolen Generations Alliance spokeswoman Christine King said the wording of the apology should be simple and contain the word "sorry".
"It should be simple, straightforward and from the heart," she said.
"From our consultations, there were some specific things that came out that people would really like to see in it and I think the Government has to consider those. But it's really up to them what they do, we've given them the feedback."
She said it was up to the Government to decide if the wording would be made public before the event.
Meanwhile, a delegation of Aboriginal people from Central Australia said they would march on Parliament on Tuesday week demanding an immediate review of the NT intervention and restoration of the Racial Discrimination Act.
Ngunnawal elder Matilda House will deliver the Welcome to Country address in the Members Hall.
Organiser Barbara Shaw is expecting thousands of people from around Australia to join the protest delegation at Parliament.
"They're going down there as angry and sad people because of what's been happening to them in the Northern Territory," she said.
"They want to be able to sit down and talk to politicians because this legislation took not even one day to pass through Parliament."
Aboriginal Rights Coalition spokesman Greg Eatock said the Federal Government was continuing to preside over an attack on indigenous people's fundamental rights in the form of the NT intervention.
"We acknowledge the gesture of an apology and stand alongside the stolen generations, but [Mr] Rudd must act now," he said.
"We don't want to be asking for another apology in 20 years for the people whose communities are being shut down and family lives torn apart by this intervention."
Stolen Generations and Families Aboriginal Corporation spokeswoman Zita Wallace said she hoped the formal apology would not be empty words.
"I hope that the gates will be left open for us to talk further and maybe way down the track maybe get compensation," she said.
Ms Wallace said she was disappointed the Federal Government would pay for only 15 people from Alice Springs to travel to Parliament House for the apology.