APOLOGY ANNIVERSARY: ACTION AS WELL AS REFLECTION

Statement from the Co-Chairs of the National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples,
Jody Broun and Les Malezer

On the fourth anniversary of the apology to the Stolen Generations we call for continued support for services and healing initiatives driven by Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander peoples, as was recommended in the landmark Bringing them Home Report in 1997.

The Working Partnership between the National Sorry Day Committee and the Federal Government has been able to monitor action and outcomes by various Government departments and other agencies around specific areas like education and health and aged care.

Congress acknowledges that a lot of good work has been achieved towards implementing those recommendations but supports calls for more action by peak bodies.

However recommendations around compensation and adequate resourcing are still outstanding.

Front-line organisations such as the Link-Ups around the country continue to need to be developed and resourced to meet demand from their clients for reunification and counselling services. Ongoing funding for organisations like the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Healing Foundation is also a priority.

Today, we also praise the work of all organisations who work specifically with and for the Stolen Generations. These include countless individuals and peak Congress Members – the National Sorry Day Committee, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Healing Foundation, the Stolen Generations Alliance, the NT Stolen Generations Aboriginal Corporation and Link-Up NSW.

We also recognise the important work of heath, legal and family services who deal daily with the effects of the forced removal of generations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families.

Finally we hope that the spirit of bi-partisanship that characterised the Apology is repeated when dealing with recognising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in our Constitution.

This is yet another positive step towards recognising our people, righting historical wrongs and building mutual respect between Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander Australians and other Australians.

Download the pdf of the media release here.