Sharon Claydon (Newcastle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today is National Sorry Day, a time for all Australians to reflect on the profound grief and trauma experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, particularly members of the stolen generations.

The first National Sorry Day was held on this day in 1998, one year after the Bringing them home report was tabled in this parliament. This historic report was the result of an extensive inquiry by the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission into the removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families. For the first time, formal recognition was given in the Australian parliament to the forcible removal policies of successive federal, state and territory governments over several decades that resulted in the stolen generations.

The report also represented the first true and comprehensive documentation of firsthand testimonies of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults, who, as children, were forcibly removed from their families, communities, cultures and land, and were subjected to human rights violations that contravened several articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The Bringing them home report gave voice to those who had previously been silenced and made 54 recommendations for the nation. A key recommendation was that reparation be made to Indigenous people affected by the forced removal policies. Part of that included an acknowledgement of responsibility and an apology from all Australian parliaments, police forces, churches and other non-government agencies which implemented these policies. However, this parliament will recall how the then Liberal Prime Minister, John Howard, could never embrace the notion of a national apology.

On 13 February 2008, 10 years after the Bringing them home report was tabled here in the parliament, the newly elected Labor Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, delivered the national apology that we had all been waiting for. On behalf of the nation, our Prime Minister said sorry for the pain and suffering caused by past government policies and practices, in particular to the stolen generations, who were robbed of family, language and culture. It was a momentous event in our nation's history and an important step in building trust and developing stronger relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. The national apology also came with a commitment to close the gap, with a particular focus on life expectancy, education achievement and economic opportunity.

Earlier this year I spoke about the need for funding for a number of important programs to help close the gap. It is with great regret that I note that funding has, in fact, been stripped for Indigenous programs from this current budget. I urge the Prime Minister and his government to reconsider these cuts if we are genuinely going to deliver on our commitment to closing the gap.