FOURTH ANNIVERSARY OF NATIONAL APOLOGY TO INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIANS COMMEMORATES PROUD DAY FOR ALL
Monday, 13 February 2012
“As we commemorate the fourth anniversary of the National Apology to Indigenous Australians it makes me proud to be an Australian and humbled to have been in Parliament to witness the formal apology to the Stolen Generations and their families,” local member of Federal Parliament Gary Gray said.
“It is right and just that the Government apologised for laws our parliament enacted which were responsible for so many Indigenous families being torn apart under the misguided notion that they would be ‘better off’.”
The Bringing Them Home report, commissioned by former Labor Prime Minister Paul Keating, told the story of the Stolen Generations.
In the years 1910 to 1970 it is estimated that between 10 and 30 per cent of Indigenous children were forcibly removed from their families and communities.
“Bringing Them Home recommended a formal apology to Indigenous people and recognition of the hurt, pain and suffering caused to the Stolen Generations and their families,” Mr Gray said.
“The Howard Government did not accept the recommendations of Bringing Them Home, and in so doing refused to acknowledge one of the darkest chapters in Australia’s history.
“Prime Minister Kevin Rudd issued a formal apology on behalf of the Government of Australia in an attempt to reconcile and build a new future for our generation.
“It’s been an important step in establishing respect between the Government and Indigenous communities so that we might move forward in improving services aimed at closing the 17-year life expectancy gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.”
The Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Jenny Macklin, today launched the Stolen Generations’ Testimonies website.
Funded in part by the Australian Government, the website has recorded the lives and experiences of more than 30 Stolen Generation members.
“The Government is continuing to work with members of the Stolen Generations and organisations representing these members. We have provided $26.6 million over four years to establish the Healing Foundation to support community-based healing initiatives that address the traumatic legacy of colonisation, forced removals and other past government policies,” Mr Gray said.
“The National Apology was a significant moment in our nation's history, but work needs to continue to heal the wounds of past practices.
“The recognition of Indigenous people in the Australian Constitution is another step in building a nation based on strong relations and mutual respect, a step that is critical in our efforts to close the gap.”
The Stolen Generations’ Testimonies website can be found at: www.stolengenerationstestimonies.com.