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Why did Prime Minister Kevin Rudd apologize to Aboriginal people in 2008?

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Aboriginal people of Galiwnku Island in Australia — Australian Aboriginal peoples Aboriginal people from Galiwnku Island gathering to watch the proceedings at which Prime Minister Kevin Rudd formally apologized to the Aboriginal peoples of Australia for their mistreatment under earlier Australian governments, February 2008.

On February 13, 2008, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd delivered a formal apology to Australian Aboriginal peoples for the past mistreatment they suffered under earlier government administrations.12

The apology specifically addressed the policies of child removal and assimilation that resulted in the Stolen Generations—the generations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children who were forcibly separated from their families by state agencies and church missions from the mid-1800s through the 1970s. These policies caused immense cultural disruption, as children were forbidden from practicing their customs or speaking their native languages, and many experienced severe abuse and neglect while in institutional or foster care.34

The apology was a significant step in the ongoing process of reconciliation, following the 1997 Bringing Them Home report, which documented the widespread trauma caused by these forced removals.3