Controversies in Australian History

This subject examines controversial episodes in the Australian past that commanded public attention, gave rise to heated argument and exposed local, regional, and national divisions. Controversies such as the Myall Creek massacre of 1838, the Eureka rising, debates about Australia's role in the Pacific from the use of coerced labour on 19th century sugar plantations to the ongoing practice of offshore detention, the conscription referenda during the First World War, the Wave Hill walk-off, the ‘dismissal’ of Gough Whitlam in 1975 and the Bringing them Home Report all threw up competing interests and generated alternative notions of entitlement. The outcomes of these events had lasting consequences. By studying many controversies over 200 years of White occupation of Australia, the subject reveals changing preoccupations of race, class, gender, nationality, as well as changing forms of popular participation and public accountability. By considering how these controversies arose and how they were handled the subject provides insight into public life, the creation of consensus and the legitimacy of national institutions. The controversies gave rise to shared memories and competing traditions, many of which shape our present. They have shaped Australian history and continue to generate alternative interpretations. The subject thus introduces students to some of the key moments in the country’s history.