This morning, I joined thousands of people at Melbourne’s Federation Square to listen to Kevin Rudd apologise to the stolen generations. It was beautiful: a community coming together to recognise the importance of symbolism as well as action, a rare moment of reflection on who we are as Australians that seemed to sidestep political bickering and sloganeering.

The text of the apology itself was moving, but the two stand-out moments for me came later. The first was when Rudd showed what saying sorry means - taking on personal responsibility - and in so doing spoke the simple, honest words that needed saying:

As Prime Minister of Australia, I am sorry. On behalf of the Government of Australia, I am sorry. On behalf of the Parliament of Australia, I am sorry. And I offer you this apology without qualification.

That raised a huge cheer from the crowd, an audible expression of relief and satisfaction. The point when I really started snuffling, though, was at the end of Rudd’s speech. He, Julia Gillard and many other parliamentarians turned around to applaud members of the Stolen Generation seated in the gallery of parliament. We saw what an apology looks like, as well as what is sounds like: the applause acknowledged past sufferings and offered genuine respect. It was a good morning.