February 13th 2008: Australian apology to indigenous people
On this day in 2008, the Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd made a formal apology to indigenous Australians, particularly the Stolen Generations, for years of mistreatment and oppression. The apology was passed unanimously by both houses of the Australian Parliament and was one of the first acts of the new Parliament. The apology was for the policies of the Australian federal and state governments who had forcibly taken children of indigenous Australians and Torres Strait Islanders away from their families - the Stolen Generations - in what was essentially an attempted cultural genocide. Rudd pledged to bridge the gap between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians. Australia also commemorates an annual ‘Sorry Day’ on May 26th in an attempt to come to terms with the legacy of indigenous persecution.
“The time has now come for the nation to turn a new page, a new page in Australia’s history by righting the wrongs of the past and so moving forward with confidence to the future.”
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