Australian prime minister apologises for ‘no slavery’ claim

Australia’s prime minister has apologised to critics who accused him of denying the country’s history of slavery, as a state government announced it will remove a former Belgian king’s name from a mountain range as part of a global re-examination of racial injustice. “My comments were not intended to cause offence and if I did, I deeply regret that and apologise for that,” Mr Morrison said on Friday, adding that slavery was not lawful in the original Sydney colony. While he was seeking public restraint in re-evaluating historical figures in response to George Floyd’s death at the hands of Minneapolis police, the Western Australia state government announced it will rename the King Leopold Ranges in Australia’s north west.