“We apologise for the laws and policies of successive Parliaments and governments that have inflicted profound grief, suffering and loss on these our fellow Australians. We apologise especially for the removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families, their communities and their country.”
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, 13 February, 2008:
This formal apology from Australia’s 26th Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people was seen as a seminal moment in modern Australian history.
In it Mr Rudd apologised to the Stolen Generations – many of whom are still suffering today from government policies of forced child removal and assimilation.
Labor Opposition Leader at Brisbane City Council Jared Cassidy said the apology was a step in the right direction in the country’s journey towards reconciliation but said there was still work to do.
“That’s why the Labor team I lead are 100 per cent behind the Indigenous Voice to Parliament and we urge LNP Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner to change his mind and throw his support behind the referendum.”
“We also call on the LNP administration to reverse its decision not to fly the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island flags from the Story Bridge.”
