National Sorry Day: Remembering the Past, Demanding Justice Now
Each year on May 26, Australia pauses to reflect on a deep national wound. National Sorry Day commemorates the grief, trauma and loss experienced by the Stolen Generations—the thousands of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children who were forcibly removed from their families under government policies that persisted for over a century.
But it is more than a day of remembrance. It is a mirror held up to the nation, reflecting not only a painful history but an uncomfortable present.
“Today, kids learn about the Stolen Generations in school, but they’re not taught that these policies never ended. The removal of First Nations children is an ongoing genocidal project being perpetrated through government policy every day,” said Lidia Thorpe, Gunnai, Gunditjmara and Djab Wurrung independent Victorian Senator.
The Truth Told in Bringing Them Home
The landmark 1997 Bringing Them Home report was a defining moment in Australian history. Commissioned by the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission, the report laid bare the scale and cruelty of the government’s policies of child removal. These policies, the report found, amounted to acts of genocide, violating not only basic human rights, but also breaking the spirit of families, communities, and cultures.
The report documented stories from survivors of the Stolen Generations—children taken from their families, sometimes as young as babies, often never seeing their parents again. These testimonies revealed how institutions and foster homes subjected Indigenous children to neglect, abuse, and systematic efforts to erase their culture and language.
| “For individuals, their removal as children and the abuse they experienced at the hands of the authorities, or their delegates, have permanently scarred their lives. The harm continues in later generations, affecting their children and grandchildren“ – Bringing Them Home, 1997 |
The Bringing Them Home report made 54 recommendations to repair the harm and prevent it from recurring. These included financial reparations, official apologies, comprehensive social supports, and systemic reform.
“The Bringing Them Home report, delivered nearly three decades ago, told us what we need to do — implement the recommendations and give our people control over decisions about our children. That report is still sitting on the Minister’s shelf,” Senator Thorpe said.
Words Without Action
In 2008, then-Prime Minister Kevin Rudd issued a formal apology to the Stolen Generations—an emotional moment that resonated across the nation. But since then, meaningful action has stalled.
After 28 years, only 6% of the Bringing Them Home recommendations have been fully implemented. The gap between symbolic gestures and real change continues to grow.
History Repeats Itself
Recent figures from the 2025 Productivity Commission Report on Government Services show that child removals remain shockingly high. First Nations children are being removed at 10 times the rate of non-Indigenous children.
In just the past year, nearly 24,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children were living in out-of-home care. That’s over 43% of all children in the system, despite Indigenous children making up less than 6% of the national child population.
“First Nations children removed from their families face significantly higher risks of poverty, homelessness, criminalisation, and suicide — outcomes for which governments must be held accountable,” Senator Thorpe said.
These removals are often justified as protective measures, but many Indigenous advocates argue that they are just a new form of the same policy—removing children from kin, culture, and Country, often without exhausting culturally appropriate alternatives.
The financial cost is staggering. The current child removal system costs $6.6 billion per year, while the child prison system costs more than $1 billion annually. Critics argue this is not only inhumane but also a wildly inefficient use of taxpayer funds, especially when early intervention, family support, and culturally led solutions are more effective—and far less expensive.
A Call to Action
National Sorry Day is not just about reflecting on the past. It is a call to face the present and reshape the future. It asks Australians to move beyond symbolic apologies and reckon with the systems that continue to harm First Nations families today.
“This new Parliament must mark the end of excuses. Labor has the numbers. They’ve got a progressive Senate. They’ve got First Peoples willing to work with them. It’s time to stop hiding, start leading, and act on implementing these recommendations,” Senator Thorpe said.
Change is not only possible—it is essential. Indigenous-led organizations and community leaders have long advocated for practical, compassionate alternatives, such as:
- Investing in Aboriginal community-controlled child and family services
- Prioritizing kinship placements over foster care
- Funding early intervention and family preservation programs
- Implementing all 54 Bringing Them Home recommendations
- Legislating to prevent unjust removals
Walking Together, Not Looking Away
Reconciliation is not a straight line. It is a journey made with listening, truth-telling, and hard conversations. National Sorry Day asks all Australians: What have we learned, and what are we willing to do about it?
“Governments spend billions every year removing and jailing children in this country. We could create real positive change if the billions spent harming us were reinvested into our self-determined solutions to keep children in their communities, on their Country,” Senator Thorpe said.
There are proven, community-controlled services already doing this work — like Bubup Wilam, Yarrabi Bamirr, and Nelly’s Healing Place. Labor must properly resource these programs and expand them nationally, in full partnership with First Peoples.
Until we stop repeating the harm, saying sorry is just the beginning.
Learn More
- Bringing Them Home report (full text PDF)
- National Sorry Day – Wikipedia
- Productivity Commission – 2025 Report on Government Services
- Healing Foundation – Supporting Stolen Generations
- Read the full transcript of the National Apology to Australia’s Indigenous Peoples motion, 13 February 2008
- Read the Bringing Them Home report
- Watch the Apology speech by Kevin Rudd AC
- Watch the response speech by Professor Tom Calma AO, Kungarakan Elder
- Further resources
- Read the full transcript of Tom Calma’s response
- Read the Senate speeches, 13 February 2008
- Read the Federation Chamber debates, 14, 18, 19, 20 February 2008
If you’d like to take action, consider supporting Indigenous-led organizations, educating others, and advocating for systemic reform—because a real apology is backed by justice.
Further reading
Sacred Larrakia Cultural Objects Repatriated from the USA
First Contact between Cook on the Endeavour and First Nations people in Botany Bay-Kamay
Stuff the British stole: Antiquities and Repatriation
Juukan Gorge: The Blast That Shook Australia’s Conscience
James Steele, Engineer, Australian Agricultural Company
Australian Aboriginal spears taken by James Cook repatriated
Five years after the destruction of Juukan Gorge caves
Murujuga Custodian Sues Environment Minister Over WA Rock Art
Aboriginal Warrior Pemulwuy and the Fight for Repatriation
Koonalda Cave Vandals Destroy Ancient Aboriginal Treasure
It’s time to tell the truth – David Marr’s Killing for Country
