26/05/2026
National Sorry Day is a time to remember and acknowledge the ongoing impacts of the forced removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families, communities, and cultures, policies that created what is now known as the Stolen Generations. These actions were carried out in an attempt to assimilate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples into white Australian society.
It is also a day to honour the strength, resilience, and courage of Stolen Generations Survivors, their families, and communities, and to reflect on the role we all play in truth-telling, healing, and reconciliation.
Today, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children continue to be significantly overrepresented within Australia’s child protection systems, systems that too often fail to keep children safely connected to their family, culture, and community.
On this day, we remember the words spoken during the National Apology to the Stolen Generations:
"For the pain, suffering and hurt of these Stolen Generations, their descendants and for their families left behind, we say sorry.
To the mothers and the fathers, the brothers and the sisters, for the breaking up of families and communities, we say sorry.
And for the indignity and degradation this inflicted on a proud people and a proud culture,
we say sorry."
