In a move that will have the chardonnay sipping left grinning over their lunchtime lattes, the CT has an article calling for a national monument recognising the “Black Wars” when those nasty white colonials came in and upset the peaceful nomadic lifestyle of our Indigenous brothers.
Cue to the CT:
Australia ought to recognise formally the ”Aboriginal Wars” with displays in the Australian War Memorial and a monument in the Parliamentary Triangle, according to Canberra Institute director Peter Conway. Mr Conway, a Labor candidate at last year’s election, has written to acting Prime Minister Julia Gillard asking that the National Capital Memorials Committee formally recognise the conflicts. ”Given the context of this year’s parliamentary ‘apology debate’ and the forthcoming 2020 conference, the Canberra Institute would like to suggest that your committee examine the possibility of nationally recognising military- style conflicts …
He also suggested that the (Australian War) “memorial ought to include a section in its colonial war dioramas.”
Now admittedly, whilst we never had armed conflict with our native population unlike New Zealand with the Maori Wars and the USA with their continued battles with the injuns, there was a few scraps back in the day. But was there ever enough to warrant a national memorial and will it include reference to the thousands of Chinese miners killed by marauding aborigines near the Palmer river in FNQ during the gold rush?