National Apology Day

What This Anniversary Means for Our People

Today marks the anniversary of National Apology Day. This is an anniversary that carries deep weight for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples across this continent.

For many Australians, National Apology Day is remembered as a historic speech delivered in Parliament. For our people, it is something far more complex. It is the recognition of generations of pain, and the reminder that healing is still unfinished.

The Apology That Could Never Undo the Damage

On 13 February 2008, the Australian Government formally apologised to the Stolen Generations, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children forcibly removed from their families, communities, language, and Country under assimilation policies.

The apology mattered. For many survivors, it was the first time the nation acknowledged what was done to them was wrong. But an apology cannot return what was stolen.

National Apology Day is often framed as a moment of unity, but for our communities, it is also a day of truth. Truth that the Stolen Generations are not history, they are living survivors.

Truth that intergenerational trauma is real. Truth that many families are still searching for kin. Truth that the systems that enabled removal have not disappeared.

Our children are still being taken at alarming rates. Our families are still being scrutinised. Our voices are still too often dismissed.

This anniversary forces the country to sit with the reality that colonisation is not in the past, it continues to shape the present.

What This Day Means for Our People

For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, National Apology Day can bring many emotions:

• Grief for what was lost

• Anger for what was stolen

• Pride in survival

• Exhaustion from carrying the burden of remembrance

• Hope that truth might lead to change

It is a day of honouring our Elders and Ancestors who endured unimaginable policies designed to erase us, and yet, we are still here.

The apology was symbolic, but symbolism alone is not justice.

If you are reading this as a non-Indigenous person, National Apology Day is not about guilt.

It is about responsibility.

It is about asking:

• What does it mean to live on stolen land?

• What does justice look like beyond words?

• How do I support Indigenous-led solutions?

• How do I challenge systems that still harm our people?

Solidarity is not a feeling, it is action.

If You or Someone You Know Needs Support

If this day brings up difficult emotions, please know you are not alone. Support services are available through:

• Link-Up Services - LinkUp NSW - https://www.linkupnsw.org.au/

• Link-Up QLD - https://link-upqld.org.au/

• The Healing Foundation - https://healingfoundation.org.au/

• Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services

Healing is collective, and so is remembrance.