University of NSW students told to refer to Australia as having been ‘invaded’
STUDENTS at a leading NSW university are being told to refer to Australia as having been “invaded” instead of settled in a highly controversial rewriting of official Australian history.
NSW
Don't miss out on the headlines from NSW. Followed categories will be added to My News.
- Kyle tees off about ‘bull****’ university guidelines around indigenous history
- ‘Invasion Day’ protesters march against Australia Day
- We need to fix the present, not dwell on sins of the past
STUDENTS at a leading NSW university are being told to refer to Australia as having been “invaded” instead of settled in a highly controversial rewriting of official Australian history.
They are also told it is offensive to suggest James Cook “discovered” Australia and inappropriate to say the indigenous people have lived here for 40,000 years.
Instead, they should say “since the beginning of the Dreamings”.
A so-called Diversity Toolkit on indigenous terminology for University of NSW undergraduates argues that Australian history should be broken up into categories, including “pre-invasion” and “post-invasion”.
It also claims the word settlement ignores the reality of indigenous lands “being stolen”.
“Australia was not settled peacefully, it was invaded, occupied and colonised,” according to the guidelines, which are prescribed reading for some undergraduate students.
“Describing the arrival of the Europeans as a ‘settlement’ attempts to view Australian history from the shores of England rather than the shores of Australia,” the document says. “Most Aboriginal people find the use of the word ‘discovery’ offensive.”
Students are also being taught the terms “Aborigines” and “Aboriginal people” are inappropriate, and they should use the term “indigenous Australian people”.
The phrase “The Dreamings” is apparently more appropriate than “Dreamtime”, because the latter tended to indicate a time period that has finished.
The accepted historical period of 40,000 years is also rejected because it “puts a limit on the occupation of Australia and tends to lend support to migration theories and anthropological assumptions”.
But historian Keith Windschuttle said the term “invasion” was wrong. “Under international law, Australia has always been regarded as a settled country according to the leading judgments in international law, both here and around the world,” he said.
“Until the law changes, there is no sound basis on which to say invaded. That is wrong.”
Institute of Public Affairs research fellow Matthew Lesh criticised the guidelines, saying they suffocate “the free flow of ideas”.
Federal Education Minister Simon Birmingham said universities “enjoy autonomy when it comes to academic concepts”, however he stressed they should be a place where “ideas are contested and open to debate”.
A UNSW spokeswoman said the guides were “commonplace” across universities.