National Sorry Day is held annually on 26 May to remember and acknowledge the Stolen  Generations – the Aboriginal children forcibly removed from their families, communities, Country, language and culture under previous government policies. 

It is a day to reflect on the continuing grief and trauma inflicted on stolen children and their families, the strength and resilience of survivors, and the outstanding needs of ageing survivors today.

The date marks the anniversary of the tabling of Bringing Them Home: Report of the National Inquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from Their Families in the Australian Parliament in 1997.

Commemorating Sorry Day was one of many significant recommendations of this report.