The issue of an apology, 'saying sorry' to the Stolen Generations, has occupied a high profile place in national debates about reconciliation. Many people argue they owe no apology as they were not responsible for past wrongs experienced by Indigenous people in Australia. Interestingly, in many Aboriginal communities, sorry is an adapted English word used to describe the rituals surrounding death. Sorry, in these contexts, is also often used to express empathy or sympathy rather than responsibility. In response to a child’s letter of apology after watching the film Desert Healing about the massacre of her ancestors at Sturt Creek, Mary Darkie Naparrula says: “I’m glad that you can feel our pain and was moved by it because if you can feel our pain, together we can be healed.�
View high profile and everyday Australians speaking about the concept of sorry.
Directed and Presented by Tim Gibbs.
LINKS
Sorry Day
Information about the origin and purpose of Sorry Day and the National Day of Healing.
Frequently Asked Questions
2007 marks the 10 year anniversary of the Bringing them Home Report by the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission after an inquiry that uncovered the history of the Stolen Generations. Visit this site to view frequently asked questions about Bringing the Home, including, 'Should Australians feel guilty about what happened in the past?' and 'What will saying sorry achieve?'
Bringing them Home Report
Report of the National Inquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from Their Families
Stolen Generations and the need for a national apology
Background information about an apology in the Australian context.
Indigenous Affairs in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, United States of America, Norway and Sweden
A comparison of Indigenous affairs highlighting differences in socio-economic indicators, constitutional recognition and political representation, apologies for past injustices and more.
Paul Keating’s Redfern Speech
Prime Minister Paul Keating's landmark speech at Redfern Park, 10 December 1992, at the Australian Launch of the International Year for the World's Indigenous People.
Stolen generations compensation
“Mr Trevorrow’s win in 2007 in South Australia represents a watershed moment for the Stolen Generation. It sends a powerful message to others states and territories that compensation is rightfully owed to the victims of these policies which were in place across Australia for most of the 20th century, and impacted badly on generations of Indigenous Australians� – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Tom Calma.
Tasmania says sorry - Stolen Generations of Aboriginal Children
The Tasmanian Government initiated legislation in 2006 to create a $5 million fund to provide payments to eligible members of the Stolen Generations of Aborigines and their children.