What is forgiveness?

Forgiveness in Australian life is the willingness to release resentment or claims for retribution against someone who has caused harm, allowing the person harmed to move forward and the person who caused harm a chance to make amends. It is recognised in Australian religious traditions, in restorative justice frameworks, in the reconciliation process between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians, and in personal relationships.

Restorative justice is a major formal expression of forgiveness in the Australian legal system. The approach brings together the person harmed and the person responsible for the harm in a structured conversation, often facilitated by a trained mediator, to allow direct expression of impact and discussion of how to repair the damage. Youth justice conferencing, used in most Australian jurisdictions for young people involved in less serious offending, is the largest restorative-justice programme. Specific frameworks operate in victim-offender mediation, school discipline, and workplace conflict resolution.

The reconciliation process between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians draws on forgiveness as one of its dimensions. The 1997 Bringing Them Home report on the Stolen Generations documented removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from families across the twentieth century. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's National Apology of 13 February 2008 was a formal acknowledgement of harm, asking forgiveness for past wrongs. The Apology was received with a mix of responses by Stolen Generations survivors and their families, some expressing forgiveness, some asking for substantive reparations, and some calling for ongoing structural reform.

Personal forgiveness is celebrated in countless smaller stories: victims of crime who choose not to press charges or to support leniency, families who reconcile after long estrangement, communities that welcome back members who have served prison sentences, parents and children who repair difficult relationships. The National Redress Scheme for survivors of institutional child sexual abuse, operating since 2018, specifically does not require survivors to forgive but provides redress and recognition. Forgiveness in Australian usage is understood as a choice available to the person harmed, not an obligation, and is balanced against the importance of accountability for serious wrongdoing.