Closing the Gap
Ms COUZENS (Geelong) (09:50): Last Thursday, 13 February, was the 12th anniversary of the national apology to the stolen generations of First Nations people. I had the privilege of participating in the Wathaurong Aboriginal Co-operative’s remembrance of the national apology delivered by the then Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, in 2008. This apology was significant. It acknowledged the wrongdoing that resulted in the stolen generations. It was traumatic, painful and hurtful but for many was a first step to healing and truth telling, which has now lost momentum and failed due to poor policy. Families torn apart, their children ripped from their arms, stolen from their mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters and taken from country and culture—Wathaurong elders tell horrific stories of their experiences and those of many other First Nations people. Closing the Gap, established by Kevin Rudd following the apology, set targets to address the appalling outcomes for First Nations peoples in this country. The current federal government’s 2020 report card clearly tells the story of failure to close the gap. This is a result of poor policy and no real commitment to closing the gap. I look forward to working closely with Wathaurong to close this gap.