Every year on 26 May, Australians mark National Sorry Day. A day to remember and acknowledge the pain, strength and resilience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples affected by the forced removal of children from their families and communities, known as the Stolen Generations.
National Sorry Day is not only a moment of reflection on one of the darkest chapters in Australia’s history, but also a call to continue the journey of truth-telling, healing and justice.
The first National Sorry Day was held in 1998, one year after the landmark Bringing Them Home report was tabled in Parliament. The report documented the devastating impacts of government policies that led to generations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children being taken from their families throughout the 20th century.
For many survivors and descendants, the trauma did not end with removal. The effects continue today through intergenerational grief, disconnection from culture and Country, and ongoing social and emotional impacts felt across families and communities.
This year, ahead of National Sorry Day, survivors again called on governments to move beyond symbolic gestures and take meaningful action. In a recent ABC News article, Stolen Generations survivor Aunty Bronwyn Smith shared the trauma she experienced after being removed from her family at just nine years old and sent to a government-run children’s home without her parents’ consent. “I was a child of nine … frightened and intimidated,” she said.
The article highlights growing concerns from survivors and advocates that many recommendations from the Bringing Them Home report remain unfulfilled nearly three decades later. Survivors continue to call for better support services, national reparations, culturally safe healing programs and stronger protections to prevent the continued overrepresentation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out-of-home care systems.
The importance of National Sorry Day was felt powerfully in 2000 during the historic Sydney Harbour Bridge Walk for Reconciliation, where hundreds of thousands of Australians gathered in support of reconciliation and an apology to the Stolen Generations. It became a defining moment in the nation’s reconciliation journey.
In 2008, then-Prime Minister Kevin Rudd formally apologised to the Stolen Generations on behalf of the Australian Parliament. Yet many of the recommendations from the Bringing Them Home report remain unfinished. According to The Healing Foundation, only a small percentage of the report’s recommendations have been fully implemented.
Today, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children remain significantly overrepresented in out-of-home care systems, reminding us that the impacts of past policies are not confined to history alone. National Sorry Day asks all Australians to do more than simply remember. It asks us to listen to survivors, learn the truth of our shared history, and commit to action that supports healing and justice for future generations.
The Healing Foundation is a national Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisation dedicated to addressing the ongoing trauma caused by colonisation, including the forced removal of children from their families.
The organisation provides resources, survivor stories, educational materials and events to help Australians better understand the significance of Sorry Day and the ongoing healing journey.
You can learn more through these resources:
As we mark National Sorry Day this year, may we continue to move beyond acknowledgement alone. Towards meaningful action, deeper understanding, and a future grounded in healing, respect and reconciliation.