Martin Luther King III, son of American civil rights activist Dr Martin Luther King, has urged Prime Minister John Howard to show leadership by apologising to indigenous Australians for past wrongs.

Mr King is in Australia for a five-city charity speaking tour during National Reconciliation Week.

During his first speech in Brisbane last night, Mr King said an apology from Mr Howard would not reverse the past but would be the first real step towards reconciliation in Australia.

"The good politician plans for the next election but the statesman plans for the next generation," Mr King said.

"True leadership must be statesmanlike which means that you sometimes take positions that may not be popular, you take positions because you know they are the right things to do."