Australia's Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has offered a formal apology to Indigenous people who were members of the ‘Stolen Generations’ and their families.

It was the first act of the new Parliament, which met on Wednesday 13 February. The motion was supported by all political parties.

A formal apology was a key recommendation in the landmark 1997 report of the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC), which examined the forcible removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families.

HREOC’s Bringing Them Home report found that between one in 10 and three in 10 Indigenous children – possibly up to 50,000 – were forcibly taken from their families between 1910 and 1970, as part of government policies of the day.

Children were placed in orphanages and church homes or worked as domestic servants. Many were sexually, physically and mentally abused.

While the former Government had implemented some of the recommendations in the Bringing Them Home report, it had refused to deliver a formal apology.

HREOC’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Commissioner Tom Calma said by acknowledging and paying respect to the Stolen Generations, those who had suffered can move forward to heal, and ultimately, to belong.

“This national apology will directly benefit members of the Stolen Generations by validating their experiences and the rest of society as a whole by building a bridge between all Australians,” he said.

“It is not about guilt. It is about inclusion and learning from the past. And ultimately, it is about providing space in the telling of our national story for the Stolen Generations.”

Tom Calma was invited by groups representing the Stolen Generations to give the formal response to the Parliament’s apology.

HREOC President John von Doussa said that while the apology represented an important basis from which genuine healing could begin, it was only one step in a long journey towards lasting reconciliation.

“All governments in Australia must now work to eliminate the gap between the life advantages of non-Indigenous and Indigenous Australians, with particular priority given to addressing the pressing issues of health, housing, education and employment,” he said.

Find out more

• Read the apology and speech made by the Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.
• Read the formal response to the Australian Parliament’s apology, given by Tom Calma, HREOC’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner
• Read more about HREOC’s landmark report, Bringing Them Home, including a Community Guide and Frequently Asked Questions
• View an interactive Reconciliation Timeline, with key dates in the history of Australia’s reconciliation process