Today Labor joins with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to reaffirm our shared commitment to healing and reconciliation.

 

National Sorry Day is a time to reflect on the profound grief and trauma experienced by members of the Stolen Generations, and to celebrate the strength and resilience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

 

Labor pays tribute to the Stolen Generations and their families and acknowledges the pain and suffering caused by past government policies and practices that robbed the Stolen Generations of family, language and culture.

 

We recommit to the promise made by the Parliament, on behalf of all Australians, to close the gap in life expectancy, educational achievement and economic opportunity.

 

Australia still has further to go in our national journey of reconciliation.

 

Our next step as a nation is one of our most important – the recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in our Constitution.

 

We cannot afford to lose momentum. Labor stands ready to work with the Prime Minister to bring together a gathering of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders to advance the next step in achieving Constitutional Recognition of our First Peoples, as well as meaningful engagement on the impediments to achieving the Closing the Gap targets.

 

Today we celebrate the progress we have made and we remind ourselves that there is always more to do.

 

We cannot rest until opportunity belongs to every Australian, until the gap is closed, until our two Australias are one.

 

WEDNESDAY, 26 MAY 2015

 

MEDIA CONTACTS:          LEADER’S OFFICE MEDIA UNIT 02 6277 4053

MADONNA OLIVER (NEUMANN) 0416 199 808

                                                CHANSEY PAECH (SNOWDON) 0431 810 758