26 May 2025
Today, on National Sorry Day, we pause in deep reflection to acknowledge the pain, strength, and unyielding spirit of the Stolen Generations.
We honour the children who were taken, their families, and the communities that that worked tirelessly to hold onto culture, identity, community, and country in the face of the greatest injustice. We thank the Stolen Generations for their generosity, resolve, and willingness to walk the path of healing –– and for inviting Australia to walk alongside them.
In 2025, as increasing numbers of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are removed, we must also acknowledge that we are still not where we need to be. When the landmark Bringing them Home report was tabled in Parliament on this day in 1997, it described a similar picture and identified a way forward,
“The truth is that the past is very much with us today, in the continuing devastation of the lives of Indigenous Australians. That devastation cannot be addressed unless the whole community listens with an open heart and mind to the stories of what has happened in the past and, having listened and understood, commits itself to reconciliation.”
The assimilationist policies that drove the forced removals of the Stolen Generations caused deep and lasting harm to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. This is why frameworks like the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle (ATSICPP) were developed to protect the rights of children to be raised within their communities and culture.
The work of Bringing them Home will not be complete until we see Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children thriving in loving homes, until families who need support are no longer met with separation, and until children’s best interests – including their human rights – are at the centre of the decisions that could change the course of their lives.
The Stolen Generations have shared their stories with courage, heart, and grace. Their truth‑telling is the key to reckoning with Australia’s painful past and beginning the work of real healing. We must look to their stories, their grief, and their vision for a future where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children grow up proud, safe, and supported to become whoever they want to be.
To the Stolen Generations, we hear you, and we thank you for your leadership and strength. We are committed to walking the path of healing with you – echoing your ongoing calls for justice and working towards your vision for a better future.