PM Pledges $87 Million for Stolen Generations on Anniversary of National Apology

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced up to $87 million (US$61.7 million) over four years for specialised support to survivors of the Stolen Generations.

This comes as the government commemorates the 18th anniversary of the National Apology on Feb. 13.

The funding includes family tracing and reunification services, aimed at supporting people affected by forced removal from families.

Next year will mark 30 years since the release of the Bringing Them Home report, the national inquiry into the Stolen Generations—Indigenous children removed from families and made wards of the state between 1910 and the 1970’s under past government policies.

Albanese linked the announcement to the Closing the Gap framework, describing it as a long-term national project.

“Closing the Gap is a national mission and a moral imperative. And it is the work of generations,” he said in a statement on Feb. 13.

Implementation Plan Sets 2026 Priorities

The announcement came a day after the government released the 2026 Implementation Plan, outlining the Commonwealth’s forward agenda for Closing the Gap—key disparities between Indigenous and mainstream society.

The plan lists priorities including expanding the program to create 6,000 additional jobs across remote communities and extending the Low Cost Essentials Subsidy Scheme, which covers 30 types of essential items, to 225 remote stores across Australia.

It also flags increased investment in crisis support services to improve family safety.

Housing measures include $600 million for the ongoing delivery of new homes and infrastructure through the Housing Australia Future Fund, as well as a 10-year, $4 billion housing investment in the Northern Territory.

The government said it will also double the Indigenous Rangers Program workforce to 3,800 rangers by 2030 (pdf), and provide free community Wi-Fi in up to over 50 remote communities.

Other commitments include strengthening accommodation services through investment in Aboriginal Hostels Ltd, and implementing the Our Ways, Strong Ways, Our Voices Plan to address domestic and sexual violence.

Targets Still Off Track

Yet questions have been raised in the past about measures to deal with the Stolen Generations.

Gary Johns, a former Labor MP and now-head of the Close the Gap Research body says there is a difference between Indigenous children “taken from families, to those given up, or those taken responsibly for their protection, and those who allegedly were stolen,” he told The Epoch Times.

Meanwhile, the Productivity Commission shows progress remains uneven across Closing the Gap targets.

In an assessment (pdf) released in July 2025, the commission found outcomes were continuing to worsen in four areas: adult imprisonment, children in out-of-home care, suicide, and child development.

In six other areas—life expectancy, healthy birthweights, year 12 or equivalent qualifications, tertiary qualifications, youth engagement and appropriately sized housing—outcomes were improving, but targets were not on track to be met.