National Sorry Day Calls for Reflection as Australia Confronts Its Stolen Generations Past
The weight of history is once again at the center of national attention as Australia observes National Sorry Day, a moment that carries deep emotional significance for Indigenous communities and the country as a whole. This is not just a symbolic date on the calendar. It is a reminder of a painful chapter that continues to shape lives today and a call for truth, recognition and healing.
National Sorry Day marks the anniversary of the Bringing Them Home report, which documented the forced removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families. These children, now known as the Stolen Generations, were taken under government policies that separated families, disrupted cultures and left lasting scars across generations.
Across Australia, commemorative events are being held, from public gatherings to quiet community reflections. Survivors and their descendants are sharing stories that remain difficult but necessary to hear. Many speak about identity lost, languages silenced and childhoods marked by separation and institutional care. And while official apologies have been made in past years, communities continue to emphasize that acknowledgment must be matched with meaningful action.
Leaders and advocates are using this day to renew calls for stronger support systems, better access to services and continued efforts toward reconciliation. For many Indigenous Australians, the conversation is not only about remembering what happened, but about addressing the ongoing inequalities that stem from that history. Education, health outcomes and justice remain key areas where gaps persist.
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At the same time, there is a broader national reflection underway. National Sorry Day has become a moment where Australians are encouraged to confront uncomfortable truths, listen to lived experiences and consider what genuine reconciliation should look like in practice, not just in words.
Around the world, this observance is also being watched as part of a larger global conversation about historical injustice and the long road toward healing. It raises important questions about how nations acknowledge past wrongs and how they move forward in a way that includes those most affected.
As this day unfolds, the message remains clear. Remembering is not enough on its own. It must lead to understanding, responsibility and change that reaches beyond ceremony and into everyday life.
Stay with us as we continue to follow how this important national reflection develops and what it means for the future of reconciliation in Australia and beyond.
At four, her head was shaved and her clothes burned. Aunty Lorraine doesn’t want her trauma to be forgotten | Stolen Generations | The Guardian Skip to main content Skip to navigation Close dialogue 1 / 2 Next image Previous image Toggle caption Print subscriptions Search jobs Sign in Int International edition UK edition US edition Australia edition Europe edition The Guardian - Back to home The Guardian News Opinion Sport Culture Lifestyle Show more Hide expanded menu News View all News World news US politics UK news Climate crisis Middle East Ukraine Environment Science Global development Football Tech Business Obituaries Opinion View all Opinion The Guardian view Columnists Cartoons Opinion videos Letters Sport View all Sport Football Cricket Rugby union Tennis Cycling F1 Golf US sports Culture View all Culture Books Music TV & radio Art & design Film Games Classical Stage Lifestyle View all Lifestyle Fashion Food Recipes Love & sex Health & fitness Home & garden Women Men Family Travel Money Search input google-search Search Support us Print subscriptions Search jobs Holidays Digital Archive Guardian Licensing Live events About Us The Guardian app Video Podcasts Pictures Newsletters Today's paper Inside the Guardian Guardian Weekly Crosswords Wordiply Corrections Tips Search input google-search Search Search jobs Holidays Digital Archive Guardian Licensing Live events About Us Australia World AU politics Environment Climate crisis Indigenous Australia Immigration Media Business Health Science Tech Podcasts Newsletters Aunty Lorraine Peeters in 2022. Peeters was four years old when she was forcibly taken from her parents at Brewarrina mission and removed to Cootamundra Aboriginal Girls Home in 1942. Photograph: Sarah Collard/The Guardian View image in fullscreen Aunty Lorraine Peeters in 2022. Peeters was four years old when she was forcibly taken from her parents at Brewarrina mission and removed to Cootamundra Aboriginal Girls Home in 1942. Photograph: Sarah Collard/The Guardian Stolen Generations At four, her head was shaved and her clothes burned. Aunty Lorraine doesn’t want her trauma to be forgotten The now 88-year-old is urging Australian governments to throw their support behind a new national plan for Stolen Generations survivors as they enter their final years Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Sarah Collard Indigenous affairs correspondent Mon 25 May 2026 15.01 BST Last modified on Mon 25 May 2026 22.45 BST Share Prefer the Guardian on Google Aunty Lorraine Peeters only remembers the metal gates opening as she was driven away from her home, at Brewarrina mission in north-west New South Wales. She was taken, along with her brothers and sisters, at just four years old. Her home for the next six years would be the Cootamundra Aboriginal Girls Home, where she was separated from her siblings, trained as a domestic servant and systematically brainwashed to be white. “On entry, all your clothes were burnt and then you were doused, or what they call delousing and this is back in the 1940s so it was sheep dip,” Aunty Lorraine told Guardian Australia. “And then your head was shaven, you were given a new identity and religion. Sign up for the Breaking News Australia email “From four until I turned, I think I was 10 years. They had enough time to assimilate me into something I shouldn’t have been. Our mantra was:‘Be white, speak white, live white every day.’” Her experience is just one of hundreds documented in the Bringing Them Home report, tabled nearly 30 years ago. Today, survivors and advocates are still urging governments to do more to support those removed from their families, as outlined in a new national plan for Stolen Generations . Almost 20 years after the NT intervention, governments are making the same mistakes – and failing Aboriginal children Read more The Healing Foundation’s plan, From Sorry to Action: A plan to act on Bringing Them Home, has been released before Sorry Day commemorations on Tuesday. Aunty Lorraine has spent decades pushing for change and healing in her community. She testified at the national inquiry that led to the Bringing Them Home report, co-founded the Coota Girls Aboriginal Corporation 13 years ago and helped establish trauma‑informed support for survivors and families like her own. In 2008, she presented the then prime minister, Kevin Rudd, with a coolamon representing the lost babies and children, before the national apology to survivors and their families. View image in fullscreen The former Cootamundra Aboriginal Girls Home, Aunty Lorraine’s home for six years. Photograph: Sarah Collard/The Guardian Now the 88-year-old is urging federal and state governments to throw their support behind Stolen Generations survivors as they enter their final years, with many still on the long search for connection and family reunification. “Survivors are still suffering trauma, survivors with disability or that are mentally not right, given the trauma they’ve been through and the organisation is still running on the smell of an oily rag with nothing.” Crisis of First Nations children in care will worsen under NT child protection reforms, advocates warn Read more The Healing Foundation’s report urges comprehensive and practical support for thousands of survivors, many of whom are ageing, require culturally safe aged care and are still waiting for access to records held by private institutions such as churches and government agencies. The foundation’s chief executive, Shannon Dodson, said many survivors are desperate for increased support and real action after decades of waiting. “Most survivors are now eligible for aged care and, from an overall health, social and emotional wellbeing perspective, it’s really looking at what kind of trauma‑informed and culturally safe approaches are needed to ensure that survivors are not re‑traumatised during their ageing,” Dodson said. The report also recommends removing medical co‑payments for survivors and establishing a comprehensive redress scheme in all states and territories. Queensland remains the last jurisdiction without a targeted compensation scheme after Western Australia announced its redress program last year. It recommends governments work with survivors and Stolen Generations organisations to establish an access and priority card so survivors can access primary health and aged care services to assist with universal and equitable access to care and support. Up until the 1970s, Aboriginal children were systematically removed from their families, communities and culture under assimilation laws and policies adopted by all Australian governments. Many never returned home. Children were put into institutions, fostered or adopted out to non-Indigenous families. Many suffered harsh, degrading treatment and sexual abuse. It is estimated between one in 10 – though it may be as high as one in three – Indigenous children were removed from their families between 1910 and 1970. Dodson said that since the Bringing Them Home report and the apology in 2008, momentum has stalled, with piecemeal action from states and territories to support Stolen Generations survivors. “We can’t go on another year of saying the same thing and calling for the same thing, Dodson said. “We’re coming up to 30 years – an entire generation where we’ve lost already thousands of survivors. “I think that it is a real plight on the country and a real stain on the country that we have not dealt with our duty to Stolen Generation survivors in the way that it was intended through the national inquiry. Aunty Lorraine says she has been able to build a “good life” for her children and grandchildren. While her parents died before they could meet again, she returned home to the place she was born – a tree – taking some earth with her. “Some lovely things have happened to me. Going to that tree was like a rebirth. I took some of the dirt, some of the bark and gum leaves and it’s with me beside my bed. I’ve been very fortunate in creating what I had lost. “We’ve got to keep that legacy going.” Explore more on these topics Stolen Generations Indigenous Australians news Share Reuse this content More on this story More on this story Live Australia politics live: Alex Antic cites ‘dream team’ of Abbott, Canavan and Taylor as inspiration for bid to lead SA Liberals 25s ago Australia’s largest recorded diphtheria outbreak is spreading through remote Indigenous communities 3d ago Power bills to fall by up to 10% from July as renewables and batteries soar across Australia 2h ago Signs of ‘feeding’ ritual at dingo burial site shed new light on bond between First Nations people and canines 18 May 2026 The ‘teal party’ was once used to undermine independent MPs. So why would they try to make it a reality? 11h ago … … comments Full Story David Pocock on whether a ‘teal’ party is possible – Full Story podcast 9h ago Evacuees from flooded remote Indigenous areas in NT housed in compound likened to ‘a prison camp’ 28 Apr 2026 Five-year-old Aboriginal girl may have been abducted from Alice Springs home, police say 27 Apr 2026 Full Story How Victoria’s treaty heralds a new era of politics – Full Story podcast 22 Apr 2026 Nacc chief Paul Brereton resigns saying criticism of him ‘drawing attention away’ from agency’s mission 18h ago Most viewed Most viewed Australia World AU politics Environment Climate crisis Indigenous Australia Immigration Media Business Health Science Tech Podcasts Newsletters News Opinion Sport Culture Lifestyle Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning Sign up for our email About us Help Complaints & corrections Contact us Tip us off SecureDrop Privacy policy Cookie policy Tax strategy Terms & conditions All topics All writers Newsletters Digital newspaper archive Bluesky Facebook Instagram LinkedIn Threads TikTok YouTube Advertise with us Search UK jobs Tips Accessibility settings Work with us Back to top © 2026 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. 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(dcr) Bringing Them Home report inaction a 'failure', former commissioner says - ABC News Skip to main content Skip to news navigation, settings and search Explore the ABC More from ABC Close menu ABC ABC News ABC iview ABC listen Kids & Students Indigenous Information & Services Editorial Policies Read our editorial guiding principles Follow the ABC news iview listen ABC News Just In For You Politics World Business Analysis Sport Lifestyle Entertainment Quizzes More Search Log in News Home Just In For You Analysis Rural Watch Live Health Indigenous Politics Science Deep Time Elections World Environment Investigations Business Local news Quizzes Sport AFL NRL Football Tennis Cricket Netball Lifestyle Wellbeing Relationships & Family Food & Recipes Personal Finance Home & Garden Entertainment TV & Movies Books Music Pop Culture Arts Your ABC Account Personalise the news and stay in the know Log in to personalise Facebook YouTube Instagram Twitter Emergency Backstory Newsletters ä¸æ–‡æ–°é—» BERITA BAHASA INDONESIA TOK PISIN Appearance (BETA) Follow system settings Select an option Always light Always dark Follow system settings Find any issues using dark mode? Please let us know ABC iView ABC Listen ABC News News Home Bringing Them Home report inaction a 'failure', former commissioner says Share Share article Bringing Them Home report inaction a 'failure', former commissioner says By the Indigenous affairs team's Tahnee Jash and Samantha Jonscher Topic: Indigenous Australians Tue 26 May 2026 at 6:42am Tue 26 May 2026 at 6:42am Tue 26 May 2026 at 6:42am Loading... In short: Former commissioner Mick Dodson has criticised the government's inaction to implement the landmark Bringing Them Home report, almost three decades since it was published. A review found only five out of 83 actions have been implemented since it was tabled in parliament. What's next? A road map released by the Healing Foundation is urging governments to act within the next two years. abc.net.au/news/former-commissioner-slams-bringing-them-home-report-inaction/106711214 Link copied Share Share article Almost three decades after the landmark Bringing Them Home report was tabled in parliament, co-author Mick Dodson has slammed the federal government's response to the recommendations as a "total failure". Speaking on Sorry Day, Professor Dodson said the government's lack of action indicated two things: "I don't think they care and secondly, maybe they're just waiting for all the survivors to die out so the problem goes away," the Yawuru elder said. "That's a callous, hard, unacceptable attitude if that be true." The Healing Foundation, an advocacy group that represents survivors, commissioned a report in 2025 titled Are you waiting for us to die? The unfinished business of Bringing Them Home, which found that only five out of 83 recommendations had been implemented. "That's a woeful failure," Professor Dodson said. "Some [recommendations were implemented] inadequately, some not at all, some totally ignored. "Trauma of this sort is transgenerational. Talk to any psychiatrist, psychologist, anyone who knows about trauma … it gets passed down through the families. "But many of these older Stolen Generations people are dying without proper redress, with no reparations." Professor Dodson says survivors deserve action, not just an apology. ( Supplied: Dayvis Heyne ) On Tuesday morning, the government announced an additional $2.6 million in funding for 2026-2027 for Stolen Generations, including $1 million for the Healing Foundation and $1.6 million for LinkUp services, in recognition that "there is more work to do". Professor Dodson was Australia's first Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner, serving from 1993 to 1998. "Day in, day out, we sat there as commissioners and listened to these awful, awful stories that happened to these adults, who as children, were totally traumatised by what the government did to them," he reflected. " It was soul-destroying to hear what they had to say. We cried a lot. " Established in 1995, Professor Dodson co-led The National Inquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from Their Families. Mick Dodson co-led the landmark 1995 inquiry into the experiences of Stolen Generations survivors. ( ABC ) The inquiry was tasked with documenting the impacts of racist government legislation, policies and practices on First Nations people and exposed the ongoing trauma and grief that followed. For two years, they heard evidence from 535 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and organisations from across Australia. It was the first time Indigenous people had their experience of abuse and sorrow publicly acknowledged and many Australians responded with shock and horror. Life inside a government-run children's home At nine years old, Bronwyn was sent to a notorious government-run children's home without her parents' consent. What unfolded next impacted the rest of her life. The final 689-page Bringing Them Home report made a total of 83 recommendations to support the healing and reconciliation for survivors and "for the benefit of all Australians". One of the most contentious recommendations was for all parliaments, police forces, churches and non-government organisations to issue a formal apology to survivors. Then prime minister John Howard refused to apologise. "I don't believe the current generation can be held accountable for the injustices inflicted by earlier generations, particularly when those practices were sanctioned by law at the time," he said at the time. After a change of government 11 years later, Labor prime minister Kevin Rudd apologised to Stolen Generations survivors on behalf of the nation. Kevin Rudd (C) embraces members of Australia's Stolen Generation after delivering the apology in 2008. ( Mark Baker/Pool: Reuters ) Following the apology, the government promised to implement practical measures such as improving Indigenous housing. Nearly three decades on, only 6 per cent of the report's recommendations have been fully implemented, according to the Healing Foundation. "We're glad that you're sorry," Professor Dodson said "But sorry's hopeless or useless without any action. We need action." 'We can't waste any more time' Following in her father's footsteps, Shannon Dodson has taken up the fight for Stolen Generation survivors as CEO of the Healing Foundation. "I do feel that sense of responsibility to try and finish what he started and to continue that work," she said. " It is sad to see that almost 30 years later, we're still having the same conversations. " The Healing Foundation has used this year's Sorry Day to publish a strategic plan for the government to implement many of the 1997 report's outstanding recommendations, before the 30th anniversary next year. Shannon Dodson is urging governments to implement actions within the survivors’ lifetime. ( Supplied ) Ms Dodson said while "apologies are important", it was time that Stolen Generations survivors saw "tangible action". As members of the Stolen Generation continue to age, Ms Dodson said a number of the recommendations were "time critical" . "We continue to lose survivors … we can't waste any more time. And these people need to see that we are showing that we've heard and that we're listening," she said. One of the major concerns is that Queensland, unlike every other state and territory, has never offered a redress scheme for survivors. The report noted that "many survivors have passed away without receiving justice for what was inflicted upon them". The long shadow of forced removals Ms Dodson said it was "really important" that the broader community understood the ongoing legacy of forced removals. "A lot of the symptoms that we're seeing experienced by communities are as a result of things like historical removal," she said. The action plan's recommendations are closely aligned with the Closing the Gap Agreement and she said they would lead to "real, tangible change in the lives and the dignity of survivors". The government says it will consider the Healing Foundation’s action plan ( Alan Porritt: AAP ) Focusing on five key areas, the plan calls for immediate action on public education, service delivery, prioritised access to records and equitable access to redress schemes. "No amount of money will ever make up for what they've lost and for the experience that they've had," Ms Dodson said. "However, as is common when you see a gross violation of human rights, it's part of international law." She said receiving redress validated survivors' experiences and "made a real difference in people's lives". The plan also called for urgent work on culturally safe, trauma-informed and fully subsidised aged care for Stolen Generations survivors, given that most were now at least 50 years old and had "unique and complex needs". The government announced in this month's budget $3.2 million over four years from 2026-27, an exemption for the Stolen Generations redress scheme payments from inclusion in residential aged care asset testing . Minister for Indigenous Australians Malarndirri McCarthy said "we reflect on the pain and harm caused by past policies of forced removal' and would consider the Healing Foundation's action plan. Shadow minister for Indigenous Australians Julian Leeser said the coalition's priority was "improving the situation we are seeing on the ground right now" through practical solutions across areas like aged care. "And I want to look ahead, focusing on education, safety and hope for the next generation," Mr Leeser said. Posted Tue 26 May 2026 at 6:42am Tue 26 May 2026 at 6:42am Tue 26 May 2026 at 6:42am , updated Tue 26 May 2026 at 8:48am Tue 26 May 2026 at 8:48am Tue 26 May 2026 at 8:48am Share options Copy link Facebook X (formerly Twitter) Promotion Top Stories US military strikes Iranian boats and missile launch sites Topic: Unrest, Conflict and War SA Police return to Yunta as part of Gus Lamont investigation Topic: Missing Person Power price drops for most customers as batteries manage to flatten peak Topic: Energy Markets Leaked documents reveal how far BHP really is from net zero goals Topic: Mining and Metals Industry Scathing warning to people harassing royal commission witnesses Topic: Royal Commissions Related stories Is the 2026 budget a missed opportunity for First Nations people? 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