Opinion: University right to teach that Australia was ‘invaded’ by British because it’s the truth

OPINION: It’s clear the British, by denying the existence of those living here, effected an invasion and the level of abusive denialism with which many greet the facts never fails to astonish.

IT’S clear the British, by denying the very existence of people living here before and at the time of their arrival, effected an invasion.

This is because there was no mutually agreed settlement with those people. There were no negotiated terms. There was no compensation for lands seized. There were then few or no human rights bestowed on the indigenous peoples – a situation that remained largely the case for 200 years.

The universities are right to teach these facts.

DEBATE: Was Australia settled or invaded?

But the level of abusive denialism with which so many people, including many in the media, always greet these facts, never fails to astonish and disappointment me.

The foul lie of terra nullius was exposed by our High Court in the Mabo native title case 24 years ago.

It was a lie because Australia most certainly was not an “empty land” when Cook and then the first fleet arrived. But, by crikey it was a handy lie. Because it meant the Brits could move in, without bothering with an annoying treaty or any form of recompense.

But there were people here. Lots of them. Men, women and children. All over the continent, from north to south, east to west. And they’d been here for 40,000 years.

Nonetheless they were blithely given no status and just shoved aside.

Within a very short period of time, many had contracted vile illnesses to which they had no immunity. Thousands, tens of thousands, died.

Australia most certainly was not an “empty land” when Cook and then the first fleet arrived.

They were driven from their traditional lands. Some were hunted down and chained like dogs when they tried to fight back or flee. Massacres occurred.

Over the next 200 years they were denied many rights, even the simplest of human rights.

Ultimately, many were herded into remote dust bowls.

People who spoke different languages were thrown together while, at the same time, families were split up. In the government and church-run missions, husbands were separated from wives, children from parents.

If they tried to flee the missions they were imprisoned.

UNSW students are being taught it’s offensive to say Captain Cook “discovered” Australia and that we were not settled peacefully but “invaded”.

Speaking their own languages was forbidden. Cultural practices were banned. If a man and woman wanted to marry, they had to seek permission from white authorities.

If they went to work for whitemen’s enterprises (even on land on which they and their ancestors had lived for centuries), again they had to seek permission.

If they were paid at all, often the money was held in trust, supposedly to be paid to them at some stage.

The records in many states show it never was. In Queensland, black people’s wages were used to build roads and hospitals for white people.

And they were paid less than white people for the same work – this wage discrimination continuing in Queensland at least, but no doubt in other states, until the late 1970s.

The lie of terra nullius was kept alive by the denial of these simple human rights, as it was by the non-inclusion of indigenous peoples in the Australian national census – right up until 1967.

Let me spell this out: until 1967 they were not even counted as people.

Lawful settlement of an empty land? Give me a break.

Australia the lucky country? Australia the wilfully ignorant one, more like it.

Email Margaret Wenham