What the Apology Said vs. What It Really Meant
Today, this Parliament, on behalf of the Australian people, takes responsibility and apologises for the policies and practices that forced the separation of mothers from their babies, which created a lifelong legacy of pain and suffering.
Translation: “Responsibility” is claimed in words, but not in law. “Policies and practices” is vague — it avoids naming crimes, perpetrators, or institutions. It’s a safe, abstract frame that shields individuals from blame.
We acknowledge the profound effects of these policies and practices on fathers.
Translation: The scope is widened to include fathers, but still no naming of who enforced these separations or how they were excluded.
And we recognise the hurt these actions caused to brothers and sisters, grandparents, partners and extended family members.
Translation: Inclusion is broadened to sound compassionate, but the agents of harm remain unnamed.
We deplore the shameful practices that denied you, the mothers, your fundamental rights and responsibilities to love and care for your children. You were not legally or socially acknowledged as their mothers. And you were yourselves deprived of care and support.
Translation: “Deplore” is moral disapproval without legal consequence. Rights were denied, but no one is held to account for denying them.
To you, the mothers who were betrayed by a system that gave you no choice and subjected you to manipulation, mistreatment and malpractice, we apologise.
Translation: “Sorry” is offered, but there is no reparations scheme, no prosecutions, no systemic overhaul. Emotion without structural change.
We say sorry to you, the mothers who were denied knowledge of your rights, which meant you could not provide informed consent. You were given false assurances. You were forced to endure the coercion and brutality of practices that were unethical, dishonest and in many cases illegal.
Translation: This is the closest to naming wrongdoing — but “illegal” is left undefined. No confirmation that crimes occurred, no admission that the state broke its own laws.
We know you have suffered enduring effects from these practices forced upon you by others. For the loss, the grief, the disempowerment, the stigmatisation and the guilt, we say sorry.
Translation: Harm is acknowledged, but the cause is abstracted. No naming of the machinery that inflicted it.
To each of you who were adopted or removed, who were led to believe your mother had rejected you and who were denied the opportunity to grow up with your family and community of origin and to connect with your culture, we say sorry.
Translation: Again, sorrow without restitution. No truth commission, no legal redress, no guaranteed access to sealed records.
We apologise to the sons and daughters who grew up not knowing how much you were wanted and loved. We acknowledge that many of you still experience a constant struggle with identity, uncertainty and loss, and feel a persistent tension between loyalty to one family and yearning for another.
Translation: Empathy is expressed, but no action is promised to resolve identity loss or restore family connections.
To you, the fathers, who were excluded from the lives of your children and deprived of the dignity of recognition on your children's birth records, we say sorry. We acknowledge your loss and grief.
Translation: Fathers’ pain is acknowledged, but no explanation of how or why they were excluded, and no offer to correct records.
We recognise that the consequences of forced adoption practices continue to resonate through many, many lives. To you, the siblings, grandparents, partners and other family members who have shared in the pain and suffering of your loved ones or who were unable to share their lives, we say sorry.
Translation: The circle of empathy widens, but still no naming of the institutions responsible.
Many are still grieving. Some families will be lost to one another forever. To those of you who face the difficulties of reconnecting with family and establishing ongoing relationships, we say sorry.
Translation: The permanence of the damage is acknowledged, but no commitment is made to remove barriers to reconnection.
We offer this apology in the hope that it will assist your healing and in order to shine a light on a dark period of our nation's history.
Translation: Healing is placed on the victims. The government offers empathy, not justice.
To those who have fought for the truth to be heard, we hear you now. We acknowledge that many of you have suffered in silence for far too long.
Translation: Survivors are told they are “heard” now — but there is no guarantee of action, record release, or accountability.
We are saddened that many others are no longer here to share this moment. In particular, we remember those affected by these practices who took their own lives. Our profound sympathies go to their families.
Translation: Sympathy is expressed, but no investigation into whether ongoing systemic failures contributed to these deaths.
To redress the shameful mistakes of the past, we are committed to ensuring that all those affected get the help they need, including access to specialist counselling services and support, the ability to find the truth in freely available records and assistance in reconnecting with lost family.
Translation: “Freely available records” is not defined — in practice, many remain sealed, redacted, or delayed. Support services are offered, but no reparations, no prosecutions, no truth commission.
We resolve, as a nation, to do all in our power to make sure these practices are never repeated. In facing future challenges, we will remember the lessons of family separation. Our focus will be on protecting the fundamental rights of children and on the importance of the child's right to know and be cared for by his or her parents.
Translation: A promise for the future while the past remains buried. No commitment to prosecutions, truth‑telling, or full transparency.
With profound sadness and remorse, we offer you all our unreserved apology.
Translation: Unreserved in tone, but reserved in substance. Sincere in words, insincere in action.
