Terri Butler (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for the Environment and Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today, a local organisation based in my electorate of Griffith that facilitates reunions of members of the stolen generations and their families is holding an event to commemorate the 14th anniversary of the national apology given by then Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. It's an event that I try to attend every year, and today I'm so sad not to be able to be there with Link-Up Queensland and all of the people who are joining together to commemorate this significant day. They're at QPAC and they're having an event at which people will be making speeches, including members of the stolen generations themselves, about our nation's history and our nation's future. I want to say to those people who are gathering together at Southbank that I do wish very much that I were with you today to commemorate this really significant occasion. I want to particularly acknowledge any of the stolen generations who have any connection with the former Cranbrook house, which is one of the places where people were taken and which Link-Up Queensland has had a long history of addressing in terms of bringing people back together.

I also want to acknowledge the CEO of Link-Up, Ms Pat Thompson AM. I really wish to congratulate her as well as acknowledge her. She was recently appointed as a Member of the Order of Australia, which was well-deserved. She'll be there today and she'll be making sure that she continues that serious and solemn work of bringing together and reuniting families. I also want to acknowledge everyone else from Link-Up Queensland who works so hard to bring people together. These reunions can sometimes be very joyful occasions, but they can sometimes be very sad occasions, particularly the graveside reunions which unfortunately feature all too often in the work of Link-Up Queensland.

Of course, today this parliament will be acknowledging the anniversary of the apology. Each year, we remember the Bringing them home report, which was tabled in the federal parliament on 26 May 1997 following a national inquiry commenced under the Keating government. That report recommended that there be an apology. It really emphasised the importance of apology and acknowledgement. It said the first step in any compensation and healing for victims of gross violations of human rights must be an acknowledgement of the truth and the delivery of an apology. That apology was finally given by then Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, as I said, in 2008. As I said, it's the 14th anniversary of it this year, so I want to thank Kevin for that.