First published in the Sydney Morning Herald

SUPPORT for the stolen generations apology has leapt since the Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, said sorry in Parliament last week.

More than two-thirds of Australians support the apology, says a poll taken at the weekend. In total, 68 per cent voiced their approval, up sharply from the 55 per cent who backed the apology two weeks ago.

The Galaxy Research poll, commissioned by the GetUp political action organisation, also showed that the number who disagreed fell just as sharply - down from 36 per cent to 22 per cent.

"This poll proves that the apology was a concrete step towards reconciliation," the executive director of GetUp, Brett Solomon, said.

Galaxy asked 1100 people aged 16 and over whether they agreed or disagreed with the Government's decision "to say sorry for the forced removal of Aboriginal children from their families, also known as the stolen generations".

The poll showed the shift in views was stronger among men than women. In early February, only 51 per cent of men agreed with the apology but that rose to 66 per cent at the weekend. The change among women was 59 per cent to 70 per cent.

The increased support was across all states and the numbers of those who "strongly agreed" with the apology rose from 31 per cent to 41 per cent.