Apology for the Stolen Generations Aboriginal people from Galiwinku 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. (more) Stolen Generations Australian government policy Written by Roland Martin Roland Martin is a freelance writer living in San Francisco. Roland Martin Fact-checked by Britannica Editors Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Britannica Editors Last updated Mar. 19, 2026 •History Stolen Generations, the generations of Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islander peoples who, as children, were forcibly removed from their families by Australian state agencies and church missions from the mid-1800s to the 1970s. A national inquiry established by the Australian attorney general in 1995 and conducted by the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC) found that between 1 in 10 and 1 in 3 children of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians were...

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