How an Apology Begins a Journey of Truth-Telling and the Securing of Our Human Rights

On Monday 12th February 2018, Reconciliation SA is holding its 2018 Apology Breakfast in the new building of the Adelaide Convention Centre. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner June Oscar AO will join us as the keynote speaker.

Her speech on "How an Apology Begins a Journey of Truth-Telling and the Securing of Our Human Rights" will address the extraordinary resilience of the Stolen Generations. June will explain the love, care and nurture that women have shown toward one another and to their children in surviving and confronting appalling abuses that have scarred generations. It is their stories that teach us that the lives of all community members are remarkable, and that when confronted with great adversity mothers, sisters, grandparents and fathers resist, survive and in so many instances thrive.

As a nation the truth of the Stolen Generations ensures that recognition and respect is given to a complex layered living history of brutality, compassion and triumph. This address sensitively peels away those layers to reveal the real lives of the Stolen Generations, lives which are as devastating as they are celebratory of Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and heritage. In this address, June will emphasise the importance of telling the truth of this nation’s past to heal traumas, and recognise the strengths of women and families to nurture healthy future generations who can fully realise and exercise their human rights.

Ten years on from this nation’s apology to the Stolen Generations, Commissioner Oscar challenges us to consider our responsibility in upholding a legacy of truth-telling which has the potential to bring justice to all.

During her time as Commissioner, June Oscar AO has called for a national reparations scheme for Survivors of the Stolen Generations. The Australian Human Rights Commission has launched a new interactive website with educational resources to help teachers and students around the country learn about the Stolen Generations.

The room will hold a maximum of 1200 people. Tickets are selling fast, so secure yours today by clicking here.

Bookings close 5 PM, Tuesday 6th February 2018.