Bendigo Chinese Association welcomes the Premier's apology for past injustices to the Chinese

THE Bendigo Chinese Association has welcomed Premier Daniel Andrews’ formal apology for the injustices inflicted upon the Chinese during the gold rush era.

Mr Andrews made the apology on Thursday as 10 people completed a walk from Robe in South Australia to Victorian Parliament House, following in the footsteps of 16,200 Chinese who made the trek between 1857 and 1863.

They walked across the border to avoid paying a discriminatory 10-pound poll tax which only applied to the Chinese at the time.

Mr Andrews said it was an injustice that should never be forgotten.

“It has given us an opportunity to reflect, with some considerable sorrow, on the terrible injustice of the past,” he said.

“Each of us here today, we are in your debt for all of those kilometres that you’ve walked and, beyond that group of walkers, those people that have always been at the forefront of this movement.

“To every Chinese Victorian, to every person hurt by that terrible policy position, on behalf of the Victorian government, on behalf of the Victorian parliament I express our deepest sorrow, and I say that we are profoundly sorry.”

The walkers made their way through Bendigo last weekend to pay homage to the city’s Chinese heritage, where they were welcomed by lion and dragon dancers.

The tax from the 1850s had a great impact on the Chinese seeking to find their share of the riches in the Bendigo goldfields.

Bendigo Chinese Association president Charles Lougoon attended the apology, and said it also covered the racist White Australia policy of the 20th century.

“It was a great outcomes to come out of the walk,” he said.

“One of the most important things was to hear the Premier accept that the Chinese of the time definitely went through severe suffering and discrimination.

“It’s the first time, to my knowledge, that this has been acknowledged in Victoria.”

Stories of the hardship faced by the Chinese in Bendigo is told in detail at the Golden Dragon Museum.