Sorry Day 2021

National Sorry Day is held each year on May 26. It was on this day in 1997 that the Report of the National Inquiry into the Separation of First Peoples children from their families was tabled in Federal Parliament. 

Titled the Bringing Them Home report, it acknowledged with unquestionable evidence the forced removal of thousands of First Peoples children from their families and communities.

Sorry Day was born out of key recommendations made by the National Inquiry into the Separation of First Peoples children from their families in the Bringing Them Home Report that was tabled in Federal Parliament on 26th May 1997.

At the request of the National Sorry Day Committee, the Australian Parliament passed a motion in 2010 recognising 26th May as National Sorry Day, and as a day to be commemorated annually, as a way of achieving greater healing for the Stolen Generations.

The first Sorry Day was held in Sydney on 26th May 1998, and has been commemorated nationally on 26th May each year since then, with Australians from all walks of life participating in memorial services, commemorative meetings, survival celebrations and community gatherings, in honour of the Stolen Generations.

It is a time for all Australians to reflect on the profound grief and trauma experienced by First Peoples, particularly members of the Stolen Generations. This grief and trauma is still played out in community today.

Importantly it is an opportunity to celebrate and connect with the strength and resilience of First Peoples, and to reaffirm our shared commitment to healing and reconciliation. We believe strong relationships foster respect and create opportunities.