Nine years since Kevin Rudd said sorry, what’s changed? 2017

Spoiler: not that much.

On February 13, 2008, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd stood up and apologised on behalf of the Australian government for the Stolen Generations. In part, he said:

“We apologise for the laws and policies of successive Parliaments and governments that have inflicted profound grief, suffering and loss on these our fellow Australians. We apologise especially for the removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families, their communities and their country. For the pain, suffering and hurt of these Stolen Generations, their descendants and for their families left behind, we say sorry. To the mothers and the fathers, the brothers and the sisters, for the breaking up of families and communities, we say sorry. And for the indignity and degradation thus inflicted on a proud people and a proud culture, we say sorry.”

So now it’s 2017, nine years after the historic apology, and we can all be grateful such treatment of Indigenous children has long been a thing of the past, right?

Except… if you look up the hashtag #OurKidsBelongWithFamily on social media, you’ll see a different story.

Actress Rarriwuy Hick has started a campaign to highlight the fact Aboriginal children are still being removed from their families – in fact, they’re nine times more likely than non-Indigenous kids to be put in out-of-home care.

Sound familiar?

You can watch Rarriwuy’s video here, then get involved on social media.