National Sorry Day and Anniversary of the Uluru Statement from the Heart

26/05/2023

The 26th of May marks both National Sorry Day and the sixth anniversary of the issuing of the Uluru Statement from the Heart to the Australian people.

The first National Sorry Day in 1998 followed the tabling in Parliament of the Bringing Them Home report, which examined laws, policies and practices affecting the forced removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families and communities throughout Australia’s history. National Sorry Day is an opportunity to acknowledge the Stolen Generations, the resilience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples who continue to suffer the impacts of intergenerational trauma, and the impacts of disproportionate rates of child removal that continue to this day.

The 26th of May also marks the date in 2017 when the Uluru Statement from the Heart was issued to the Australian people, at the culmination of dialogues between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people across the country. The Uluru Statement called for the creation of a constitutionally enshrined First Nations Voice, and a Makarrata Commission to supervise a process of agreement-making between First Nations and governments and facilitate truth-telling.

The New South Wales Bar Association has long supported the Uluru Statement of the Heart, including its call for a constitutionally enshrined First Nations Voice.