13th of February, 2008. On February 13, 2008, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd issued a formal apology to Australia's Indigenous peoples, including the Stolen Generations, whose lives had been harmed by previous government policies of forcible child removal and Indigenous assimilation. The apology was delivered in Sydney during the annual National Day of Reconciliation. In a speech that lasted more than an hour, Mr Rudd said that as a young man he had been "influenced by ideas which were not his own". He went on to say that "as a politician I have been influenced by others who have their own ideas about what should be done to resolve these issues", before apologizing for the actions of past governments. Mr Rudd said that while there had been some progress since then, "there is much more work to be done". He also urged Australian governments to adopt policies that would ensure no other generation would be harmed by the effects of colonization. The apology was met with applause from representatives of all sides of politics, as well as from members of the public watching via video link. It has been reported that up to $150 million will be made available over four years through the Prime Minister's Indigenous Advancement Strategy to help communities deal with the effects of colonisation including welfare payments, employment opportunities, legal services, and education programs.