When did Prime Minister Kevin Rudd apologize to the Stolen Generations?

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd apologised to the Stolen Generations on 13 February 2008, the first day of business of the new federal Parliament after the Labor election victory of November 2007. The National Apology to the Stolen Generations was delivered in the House of Representatives and was watched live by millions of Australians through television, radio, public screenings, and online broadcasts.

Rudd's Apology was the federal implementation of one of the central recommendations of the 1997 Bringing Them Home report, which had been refused by Prime Minister John Howard during his 11 years in office (1996 to 2007). The Labor Party had committed to delivering the Apology if elected, and Rudd made it the first substantive item of business of his new government.

The Apology covered three specific points. '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'. '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 thus inflicted on a proud people and a proud culture, we say sorry.'

The Apology was widely welcomed by Stolen Generations survivors, by Indigenous communities, and by the broader Australian public. Public events were held across the country, with Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians gathering to watch the speech. Surveys after the Apology showed broad public support, including from a majority of voters in every state. Several specific consequences followed. The Council of Australian Governments adopted the Closing the Gap framework in late 2008, with six Indigenous policy targets covering life expectancy, mortality, education, employment, and other areas. The Healing Foundation was established in 2009 to support Stolen Generations survivors. State and federal reparation schemes were expanded. The 2017 Uluru Statement from the Heart and the 2023 Voice referendum continue the constitutional dimension of the reconciliation process. Some Stolen Generations survivors and supporters argue that the Apology should have been accompanied by a compensation scheme, an issue that has been partly addressed through subsequent state-based schemes including the Territories Stolen Generations Redress Scheme announced in 2021. The Apology speech is now widely studied in Australian schools and is considered one of the most important speeches in modern Australian history.