We remember and acknowledge the mistreatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who were forcibly removed from their families and communities, which we now know as ‘The Stolen Generations’. National Sorry Day is a day to acknowledge the strength of Stolen Generations Survivors and reflect on how we can all share in the healing process.
The inaugural National Sorry Day was held on 26 May 1998.
- One year after the Bringing Them Home report, an inquiry into the past policies which caused children to be removed from their families and communities.
- Five years after the United Nations’ General Assembly proclaimed the International Year for the World’s Indigenous People and launched in Australia by former Prime Minister Paul Keating with the 1992 Redfern Speech.
- Ten years later, former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd made a formal National Apology to Australia’s Stolen Generations which is recognised as an essential first step in the healing process. View the National Apology here.
This year, the National Reconciliation Week (NRW) theme is Be Brave. Make Change a challenge; to
- Be Brave and tackle the unfinished business of reconciliation to
- Make Change for the benefit of all Australians, change starts in your daily life – where you live, work, play, and socialise.
The Office of the National Rural Health Commissioner accepts and recognises the truth of our history. We acknowledge that this is an ongoing source of intergenerational trauma for Aboriginal and Torres Islander peoples.
The Office is committed to working in partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workforces to improve Indigenous health outcomes and promoting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ expertise, opinions, leadership and perspectives through their voices, shared stories, culturally safe feedback mechanisms, and collaborative design processes.
