The St Vincent de Paul Society National Council is marking the fourth anniversary of the Australian Government’s Apology to the Stolen Generations by calling on the Government to reverse its roll-out of damaging policies such as Compulsory Income Management and the School Enrolment and Attendance Measure (SEAM).
The members of the St Vincent de Paul Society were deeply moved by the events of February, 13, 2008. We will never forget the powerful words of the then Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd:
“To the stolen generations, I say the following: as Prime Minister of Australia, I am sorry. On behalf of the government of Australia, I am sorry. On behalf of the parliament of Australia, I am sorry. I offer you this apology without qualification. We apologise for the hurt, the pain and suffering that we, the parliament, have caused you by the laws that previous parliaments have enacted. We apologise for the indignity, the degradation and the humiliation these laws embodied.”
Neither can we forget the graciousness and generosity of spirit shown by Australia’s first peoples, including members of the stolen generations, in accepting this apology.
It was a time of deep reflection. Now it is the time for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to be able to determine their own futures rather than suffering the indignity and degradation of policies that discriminate against them and take away control over their lives.
We also continue to be deeply concerned by the disproportionate rate of incarceration of Indigenous Australians, especially the young.
St Vincent de Paul National President Anthony Thornton said: “We encourage everyone, including our politicians and policy makers in Canberra, to embrace the spirit of reconciliation so that we can continue on the journey of healing as a nation.”
Dr John Falzon
Chief Executive
St Vincent de Paul Society
National Council
