On 13th February 2008, then Prime Minister Kevin Rudd made a formal apology to Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, particularly to the Stolen Generations whose lives and the lives of their family members were impacted by past government policies of forced child removal and assimilation. The apology recognised the trauma caused by past child removals and the depth of responsibility held by all levels of government to ensuring current generations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children realise their fundamental rights to grow up safe and surrounded by family, community and culture. Read or listen to the Apology, a defining moment in Australian history, from the National Museum Australia site.
Go to In the Read to find out more about the national inquiries that were the drivers for the Apology and to read commentary by Family Matters released on the eve of the Apology’s 10th anniversary.
How far have we come as a nation in making sure that injustices of the past will never, never happen again?