Adapted from SBS post: 10 things you should know about the National Apology.
Did you know…
‘Sorry Day’ and the anniversary of the National Apology are two separate days.
‘Sorry Day’ is held annually on the 26 May. The anniversary of the National Apology is a day which commemorates the event which Kevin Rudd – The Prime Minister of Australia – made a formal apology to Australia’s Indigenous Peoples’ and those whose lives had been blighted by past government policies of forced child removal and assimilation.
Although Kevin Rudd had access to several writers, the apology speech, was largely written by himself.
The National Inquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from Their Families was conducted by the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC) and their final report, titled The Bringing Them Home report, was tabled in parliament in 1997. The report handed down 54 recommendations in response to these findings, many of which have not been implemented by any government since.
Kevin Rudd’s apology is not the end of the matters of the Stolen Generations. An apology and acknowledgment for the Stolen Generations was one-fifth of one recommendation from the total 54 recommendations included in The Bringing Them Home report.
The rates of Indigenous child removal today are higher than at any point in Australia’s history.
To learn more, read the full article on the SBS website: 10 things you should know about the National Apology.
