Liverpool City Councillor Karress Rhodes has paid tribute to the contribution of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to the Liverpool community, at council's commemoration of National Sorry Day.
This year is the 26th National Sorry Day in Australia since its beginning in 1998.
Speaking at Council's Sorry Day ceremony at Liverpool Regional Museum, Councillor Rhodes said it is always an important annual event on Council's calendar as it commemorates the memory of past victims of social injustice, like the Stolen Generation.
"Liverpool is one of Australia's most multicultural communities – our residents come from more than 150 different countries – but today we acknowledge our original culture," she said.
"There are over 3,000 people in the Liverpool area with First Nations heritage and National Sorry Day, is an important commemoration for the entire community, particularly the Tharawal and Gandangara people on whose land we stand today."
"Today is an opportunity to recognise the incredible contribution of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to our community and work towards healing for the Stolen Generations, their families, and communities."
"While we have come a long way there is still much more to be done and we will continue to engage with our Indigenous community as we forge a new future for Liverpool," she said.
"24 years after the Bringing Them Home Report, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are still 10 times more likely to be removed from their families than non-Indigenous children."
"We cannot fix the problems of today without recognising the failures of the past, but events like this will help keep the conversation going as the journey to healing continues," Councillor Rhodes concluded.
