Reflecting on truth and being part of healing: National Sorry Day and National Reconciliation Week
26 May 2025
Today is National Sorry Day.
Observed on 26 May each year, Sorry Day commemorates the Stolen Generations – the thousands of First Peoples children forcibly removed from their families and communities under the race-based policies of both state and federal governments from the1800s to the 1970s.
National Sorry Day
National Sorry Day marks the tabling the landmark report, Bringing them home, on 26 May 1997 which made a series of compelling recommendations to address the impacts of forced removal policies and ongoing trauma experienced by the Stolen Generations. Nearly 30 years on, in 2025, the Healing Foundation has found that only 6% of the report’s recommendations have been implemented and is calling for urgent action to support the Stolen Generations.
National Sorry Day also reminds us of several other significant developments for the Stolen Generations and for First Peoples in Victoria.
- In December 2020, The Stolen Generations Reparations Steering Committee was formed to provide expert advice and recommendations on the design of Victorian Stolen Generations Reparations.
- In August 2023, the Yoorrook Justice Commission issued its report into child protection and criminal justice systems in Victoria, based on devastating accounts of the harm caused to First Peoples by these systems.
- On 24 May 2024, Victoria Police made an apology to the Stolen Generations for its role in the removal of Aboriginal children of the Stolen Generations from their families and communities.
National Sorry Day holds an opportunity for every Victorian to acknowledge the truths of the Stolen Generations and reflect on the part we can all play in the healing process for First Peoples in Victoria and beyond.
National Reconciliation Week
Leading on from National Sorry Day, National Reconciliation Week runs from 27 May to 3 June. It is a week to learn about First Nations cultures, histories and achievements and reflect upon meaningful action to advance reconciliation between First Peoples and non-Indigenous Australians.
The week is bookended by two significant milestones for First Peoples:
- 27 May recognises the successful referendum in 1967, in which almost 91 per cent of Australians voted in favour of changes to the Constitution that would recognise First Peoples as part of the Australian population.
- 3 June recognises the High Court Mabo decision in 1992, which inserted the legal doctrine of native title into Australian law. The decision recognised the fact that First Peoples have lived in Australia for many thousands of years and enjoyed rights to their land according to their own laws and customs.
The 2025 theme for National Reconciliation Week – ‘Bridging now to the next’ – highlights that Australia’s history of reconciliation is not a linear one, but one with great strides and disappointing setbacks. The week invites us to look ahead and continue the push forward as past lessons guide us, focusing on growth, reflection, and commitment to walking together.
We welcome one opportunity to walk together with the Yoorrook Justice Commission’s historic Walk for Truth underway, inviting Victorians to celebrate the strength and resistance of First Peoples, and acknowledge the oldest living culture in the world as our own.
Join Commission Ro Allen in participating and find out how to register for the Walk for Truth.