Who was involved in the 2008 apology?
On 13 February 2008 Prime Minister Kevin Rudd made a formal apology to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, particularly to the Stolen Generations whose lives had been blighted by past government policies of forced child removal and assimilation.
Why did Rudd say sorry?
On 13 February 2008, then Prime Minister Kevin Rudd moved a motion of Apology to Indigenous Australians. His apology was a formal apology on behalf of the successive parliaments and governments whose policies and laws “inflicted profound grief, suffering and loss on these our fellow Australians”.
Who was the prime minister during the Stolen Generation?
The acceptance of the term in Australia is illustrated by the 2008 formal apology to the Stolen Generations, led by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and passed by both houses of the Parliament of Australia.
Who introduced Sorry Day?
Australia’s Prime Minister Kevin Rudd tabled a motion in parliament on February 13, 2008, apologizing to Australia’s Indigenous people, particularly the Stolen Generations and their families and communities, for the laws and policies that inflicted profound grief, suffering and loss.
How many stolen generation children were stolen?
The Bringing Them Home report (produced by the National Inquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from Their Families in 1987), says that “at least 100,000” children were removed from their parents.
Who started the stolen generation policy?
The Stolen Generations refers to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children who were removed from their families between 1910 and 1970. This was done by Australian federal and state government agencies and church missions, through a policy of assimilation.
What happened to Kevin Rudd’s apology speech?
Kevin Rudd turns to the Indigenous people in the House of Representatives after giving his apology speech on 13 February 2008. Like prime ministers before and since, Rudd left his office with great hopes dashed by harsh realities. Photograph: Stefan Postles/EPA
When did Rudd apologize to the Stolen Generations?
Sydney on Australia Day 2008, three weeks prior to the Apology On 13 February 2008 Prime Minister Kevin Rudd made a formal apology to Australia’s Indigenous peoples, particularly to the Stolen Generations whose lives had been blighted by past government policies of forced child removal and Indigenous assimilation.
What was Kevin Rudd’s first act as Prime Minister?
Eight years ago this week Kevin Rudd spoke to and for the Australian people about what he termed “this blemished chapter in our national history”. It was his first act as prime minister – opening federal parliament with the word Aboriginal and Islander people and a legion of non-Indigenous Australians had longed to hear: sorry.
Did Rudd misjudge the Australian people?
Rudd conceded that he probably misjudged the Australian people, underestimating the level of goodwill in the community. In any case, he said this wasn’t a speech for white Australians but for, as he put it, “our Indigenous brothers and sisters”.