The Sydney Swans Marn Grook game against Hawthorn at the SCG tonight falls on a significant day for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders as it’s the 20^th anniversary of the Bringing Them Home Report.

On 26 May, 1997 the landmark Bringing Them Home report was tabled in Federal Parliament. The report was the result of a national inquiry that investigated the forced removal of Indigenous children from their families. This marked a pivotal moment in the healing journey of many Stolen Generations members, as it was the first time their stories of being taken from their families were acknowledged in such a way.

It’s estimated that up to one in three Indigenous children were removed from their families and communities between 1910 and the 1970s.

In 1995, the Australian Government asked the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission to carry out the National Inquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from Their Families.

Two years later, on 26 May 1997, the Inquiry tabled its final report Bringing Them Home in the Australian Parliament. This was the first time this tragic chapter of our nation’s history was presented in such a public and formal way.