Opinion: Apology to Stolen Generation - one year on

It’s one year since the Prime Minister stood in Federal Parliament and delivered a formal apology on behalf of the nation to the Stolen Generation.

It was a much needed, brave and bold step.

I think the past 12 months have shown how important this gesture has been for Australia.

Saying sorry was a catalyst for healing, for a new start and a different future – something we desperately need in many Indigenous communities.

By saying ‘sorry’, the Australian Parliament made it possible for deep-seated change to begin.
In marking the anniversary, the Prime Minister said yesterday that the job was now to focus on ‘closing the gap’ between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians in terms of housing, health, employment, education and early childhood initiatives.

Without it, the Prime Minister said, “the apology becomes a dead letter”. Mission Australia absolutely agrees with this sentiment.

While words are important, alone they are not enough – we need to back them up with action.

In Mission Australia’s case, these are some of the things we are doing:

We have established an Indigenous Working Group to guide and inform our activities in this area. This has led to the development of Mission Australia’s statement of principles which set out the values we are committed to bringing to our work with Indigenous people.

We have also developed a Reconciliation Action Plan which provides our organisation with clear objectives on Indigenous employment, partnerships with Indigenous networks and community education.

We recently established, for the first time, the position of a National Indigenous Adviser to further develop our efforts in this area.

And on the ground, Mission Australia continues its important work in partnership with Indigenous people and their communities in a range of locations, from the Tiwi Islands in the Northern Territory to Sale and Bairnsdale in southern Victoria.

In terms of improving outcomes for Indigenous communities – be they in remote or urban areas – Mission Australia believes efforts need to be guided by a few important principles.
Firstly, we need to take an ‘asset-based’ community development approach to the challenges in Indigenous communities. That is, by recognising the strengths, resources and assets available in each community we are far more likely to inspire action for change than focussing exclusively on the needs and problems. Taking this approach doesn’t deny the real problems many Indigenous people face, but it seeks to harness the energy of community members and how they can make a positive contribution.

Asset-based community development also acknowledges that Indigenous knowledge and ownership is an integral part of arriving at any long-term sustainable solution.

Secondly, services for Indigenous communities need to be flexible and allow for innovation. There is extraordinary diversity across Indigenous communities and the challenges faced in each can be just as different.

Achieving the sustainable, positive change drastically needed in some Indigenous communities requires the transformation of policies, programs, approaches and investment, in a way previously unknown in Australia.

On the anniversary of the apology to the Stolen Generation, Mission Australia urges such transformational change – rather than a tweaking of existing arrangements – not only for the wellbeing of Indigenous Australians, but for the whole Australian community.

Toby Hall is the chief executive officer of Mission Australia.