Acknowledgements of people who have not been treated with dignity or compassion throughout Australia's history and our commitment to champion change.
Australia's history includes both the contributions and resilience of diverse communities and the enduring harms caused by colonisation, dispossession, discrimination, exclusion and institutional abuse.
We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Peoples of Australia, recognising their continuing connection to Country, culture, community and sovereignty, and the enduring impacts of colonisation and the forced removal of children from their families.
We also recognise the historical and ongoing discrimination experienced by women, people with disability, LGBTQIA+ people, culturally and linguistically diverse communities, refugees and asylum seekers, religious minorities, and people whose lives have been affected by institutionalisation, family separation and systemic disadvantage.
We honour the individuals, families, communities and advocates who have challenged injustice and advanced human rights, inclusion and equality.
Our commitment is to translate acknowledgement into action. We strive to work in partnership with communities, respect lived and living experience, challenge discriminatory systems, and support services, policies and organisations that promote dignity, accessibility, self-determination, equity and meaningful participation for all.
Social justice requires more than recognising past injustice. It requires listening to those most affected, addressing barriers in the present, and contributing to a fairer and more inclusive future.
Understanding Our History
Learning from our history honours those affected. Together, we can build a fairer, more inclusive future for all.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
Historical experiences: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have endured colonisation, dispossession from Country, frontier violence, and policies designed to suppress cultures, languages and traditional ways of life. Protection and assimilation policies resulted in the forced removal of children from their families, now known as the Stolen Generations, alongside restrictions on movement, family life, cultural practices and rights.
These injustices have caused enduring intergenerational harm, while First Nations peoples have continued to resist oppression, preserve culture and advocate for sovereignty, self-determination and justice.
People with disability and experiencing mental illness
Historical experiences: People with disability and people experiencing mental illness have historically faced institutionalisation, segregation, exclusion from education and employment, and restrictions on their autonomy and participation in community life. Many experienced abuse, neglect, coercive treatment, non-consensual medical interventions and the denial of their rights to make decisions about their own lives. These practices were often underpinned by stigma, discriminatory attitudes and systems that prioritised control and institutional care over individual dignity, choice and inclusion.
Women and girls
Historical experiences: Women and girls have historically faced systemic discrimination, restricted legal rights, exclusion from political representation, and barriers to education, employment and financial independence. Gender-based inequalities have been reinforced through discriminatory laws, unequal pay, limited reproductive autonomy and the normalisation of domestic and sexual violence.
These experiences have disproportionately affected women facing intersecting forms of discrimination, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, women with disability and women from culturally diverse backgrounds. Despite these barriers, women have continually advocated for equality, safety, autonomy and equal participation in society.
Children separated from families or harmed in institutional care
Historical experiences: hildren separated from their families or placed in institutional care have experienced forced family separation, loss of cultural identity, neglect, abuse and restrictions on their rights and autonomy. These experiences have arisen through child welfare policies, coercive adoption practices, residential institutions and out-of-home care systems, often with inadequate safeguards and accountability. The impacts have extended beyond childhood, affecting family relationships, identity, cultural connection and wellbeing across generations. Many care-experienced people and survivors have advocated for recognition, accountability, family preservation and reforms that uphold children's rights, safety and dignity.
Migrants, refugees, asylum seekers and culturally, linguistically and religiously diverse communities
Historical experiences: Migrants, refugees, asylum seekers and religious and cultural minorities have experienced racial discrimination, exclusionary immigration policies, restrictions on citizenship and settlement, religious persecution, and barriers to social and economic participation in Australia. These experiences include discriminatory migration restrictions under the White Australia policy, anti-Chinese prejudice, internment of refugees fleeing persecution, and the exclusion and mistreatment of people seeking safety and protection. Many communities have also experienced racism, antisemitism, Islamophobia and discrimination based on cultural identity, language or religious belief.
LGBTQIA+ people
Historical experiences: LGBTQIA+ people have historically experienced criminalisation, police harassment, discrimination, social exclusion and persecution in Australia. Same-sex relationships were criminalised until reforms were introduced as late as 1997 and marriage equality became law in Australia in 2017.
Transgender and gender-diverse people have faced stigma, discrimination and barriers to legal recognition, healthcare and social participation.
Intersex people have experienced stigma, secrecy and non-consensual medical interventions and barriers to legal recognition and healthcare.