NSW Government response to the Stolen Generations 1997-present
There have been a number of responses from NSW Parliament and state government bodies to the Stolen Generations. These responses have been made relatively recently, predominantly from 1997 onwards, following the release of the Bringing them Home Report.
On 18 June 1997, as a response to the release of the Bringing them Home Report, NSW Premier Bob Carr spoke as a representative of the people of NSW and issued an unreserved apology to the Aboriginal people of the state 'for the systematic separation of generations of Aboriginal children from their parents, families and communities' ().
In this apology, Premier Carr recognised the role of past governments in enacting laws and policies which caused 'profound loss and grief' and reaffirmed the state's commitment to reconciliation and justice in acting on the recommendations of the Bringing them Home report (). The Department of Communities and Justice (the former departments of Family and Community Services and Justice) has also released an apology to the Stolen Generations ().
The NSW Government has acknowledged the Stolen Generations numerous times in the form of government inquiries and reports (for example , ).
NSW was the fourth state to issue a parliamentary apology following Western Australia, South Australia and the ACT (). The Commonwealth's apology officially came on 13 February 2008 ().
The law and policy in this subject is accurate as of 1 June 2023.