A group of indigenous women has used Sorry Day to call for action on what they say is the continued removal of Aboriginal children from their families.
Sorry Day has been held since 1998 to remember past government policies of taking Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families.
Grandmothers Against Removals (GMAR) held a march in Sydney on Thursday calling for an independent body to review the approximately 6500 cases of NSW Aboriginal children in out-of-home care.
Aboriginal Legal Service NSW chief executive Gary Oliver told the crowd at The Block in Redfern the rates of indigenous children in care is a "stain" on the country.
He called for an Aboriginal-controlled body to review every case in the state.
"These children will become the incarcerated adults of the future and we need to stop it now," Mr Oliver said, also pointing to a lack of effort being put in on compulsory cultural plans for children who have been removed.
"I recently witnessed the cultural support plans for one of these children ... (it) said this child should watch NITV (National Indigenous Television) for one hour a week."
GMAR, which will meet with Family and Community Services Minister Brad Hazzard at a forum on Friday, says the reviewing body would be focused on returning children in foster care to family members.
Moree woman Debra Swan, who is a former FACS caseworker, says the group wants family group conferencing to replace forced removal as the initial response to child protection concerns.
"We know some children have to be removed from their parents, but there are other family members ... who can take these kids into their care," she told AAP.
About one-third of children in NSW out-of-home care are Aboriginal.
Mr Hazzard says he's concerned the numbers are too high and that the review suggestion "may well have some merit".
He said the NSW government was trying to put decisions into the hands of Aboriginal people.
"We need to get their ideas of how we can best protect Aboriginal children from harm and there's not going to be just one answer," he said.
© AAP 2024
