The Stolen Generations: Remembering, responsibility and truth-telling

It is 18 years since the National Apology to the Stolen Generations was delivered by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.

    
Today marks the 18-year anniversary of the National Apology to the Stolen Generations, delivered by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd in 2008.

Under Australian law, turning 18 signifies adulthood, a time of increased freedom, but also responsibility and accountability.

Today is about recognising the profound damage caused by the forced removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families, communities and Country. It is about acknowledging the deep hurt and intergenerational trauma First Nations people continue to carry, and recommitting ourselves to truth-telling, learning and reconciliation.

Today is not about the individual who delivered the Apology, but it is worth reflecting on the responsibility demonstrated when a nation’s leader took accountability on behalf of the country and acknowledged the harm caused by the actions of previous governments.

The National Apology followed the landmark Bringing Them Home report, released in 1997 after a national inquiry into the forced removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. The report documented the systemic nature of child removals, their devastating impacts, and made clear recommendations for reparations, healing and reconciliation.

The Apology to the Stolen Generations was what responsible leadership looks like. It was truth-telling in action, not only acknowledging what occurred, but reflecting on its impacts and standing up to say sorry, where others could not or would not.

“We apologise for the laws and policies of successive Parliaments and governments that have inflicted profound grief, suffering and loss on these our fellow Australians. We apologise especially for the removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families, their communities and their country.”

Eighteen years on, there remain voices in positions of power who resist this kind of leadership and seek to undermine progress towards reconciliation, often through policies and narratives grounded in the same systems of racism the Apology addressed.

The Brotherhood of St. Laurence reaffirms its unwavering commitment to reconciliation and ongoing truth-telling. We are proud to stand in solidarity with First Nations people and to support Australia’s first Treaty process in Victoria.

We also call on those with power and those who aspire to lead to reflect on their responsibility in the context of more than 45,000 years of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples caring for these lands and waterways.

To learn more about the Stolen Generations, visit The Healing Foundation , which centres the voices and lived experiences of Stolen Generations survivors and their families.