The battle for the Franklin River runs far deeper than simply providing the backdrop for a political tug-of-war.
PETER DOMBROVSKIS/ LIZ DOMBROVSKIS/AAP
Essays on Air: how archaeology helped save the Franklin River.
The Conversation23.2 MB(download)
The battle to save the Franklin River - an exhilarating story of politics, cultural heritage and passionate environmentalism - captivated the nation in 1983.
Aboriginal demonstration in Brisbane in 2014.
Shutterstock/MWHunt
A damning inquiry has revealed the extent of the abuse suffered by British children sent abroad between 1920 and 1970. But it skirts around Aboriginal cultural genocide.
The Madjedbebe excavation in the Northern Territory.
Dominic O Brien/Gundjeihmi Aboriginal Corporation
Despite improvements to their content over time, secondary school history textbooks still imply that ‘real’ Australians are white.
The Tent Embassy in Canberra has for decades been symbolic of the tensions in Australian cities about recognition, reconciliation and land justice.
Dylan Wood/AAP
New DNA research working with Indigenous Australians is answering many of the questions about when and where the First Australians emerged many thousands of years ago.
The original excavation of Mungo Man, found near Lake Mungo in southwestern New South Wales, Australia.
Wilfred Shawcross.
Research first published in 2001 has been used to question of whether Aboriginal People were the First Australians. So why not re-test those results with improved techniques and equipment?
David Gulpilil as Jagamarra Jurunba, Mark Weaver as Bellyup, Dougie McCale as George and Cameron Wallaby as Pete in Satellite Boy.
A Satellite Films production Photo by Matt Nettheim SAB
For the Barkindji people, the Darling River has been a symbol of Aboriginal survival since colonial times. Now, the once busy NSW town of Wilcannia is in danger of losing its water.
Koori women Treahna Hamm, Vicki Couzens and Lee Darroch wear ‘Biaganga’, traditional possum coats at the Melbourne Museum’s Aboriginal Cultural Centre in Melbourne.
Julian Smith/AAP
Museums are cracking open the temperature-controlled, dehumidified display cases and inviting people in. Working with Aboriginal communities is reawakening cultural connections and ancient art forms.
Whose story are you telling? Neil Armfield’s The Secret River is a chronicle of colonialism.
The Sydney Theatre Company/Heidrun Löhr
The stage version of The Secret River gives us a deeper sense of our history. But can understanding the past from different perspectives help us confront the inequalities that linger in our present?
Australia’s Aboriginal welfare problem of the 60s enabled widespread theft from Indigenous artists – including designs for the one dollar note.
Reserve Bank of Australia.
Australia's original $1 note featured artwork taken without permission from Aboriginal artist, David Malangi. He was later given $1000, a medallion and a fishing kit, but archival evidence sheds new light on the affair.
An indigenous ranger burns vegetation in Arnhem Land, Northern Territory.
AAP Image/Peter Eve
European invasion completely disrupted the way aboriginal Australians managed fire. Learning from Australia's first people could help us fight fires in the future.
There are some simple principles that would strengthen Aboriginal heritage protection.
Monkey Mia, Shark Bay in Western Australia. Grant Matthews
Aboriginal heritage has had significant protections removed in Western Australia. Following principles of respect and consultation would be a huge step forward for Aboriginal cultural management.
The British Museum owns a number of priceless pieces of Aboriginal art, and claim they’re the best possible home for Australian heritage items.
Paul Hudson
The Dja Dja Warrung bark etchings are hugely significant Aboriginal artefacts. They're back in Australia for only the second time in 160 years. We look at the complex issue of repatriation.
More than 3,000 Aboriginal sites have lost registration status as part of sweeping changes in classifications in the Aboriginal Heritage Register.
Domes of Purnululu, Western Australia. Pic: David Denicolò
More than 3,000 Aboriginal heritage sites in Western Australia have lost registration status as part of sweeping changes in classifications in the Aboriginal Heritage Register. That needs to change.
The 40,000-year-old remains of Mungo Man were discovered in 1974 on the southern sector of the eroding Lake Mungo shoreline.
Jim Bowler
The remains of the Aboriginal man who lived more than 40,000 years ago are on the move again. But they're still not returning home, to the place where they were discovered four decades ago.
‘Children who are yet to be born need to know their place in the never-ending story.’
Warangkula family portrait alongside Warangkula Court street sign. Photo: Helen Puckey
Succeeding generations need to know where they are placed in the unfolding grand narrative of Aboriginal art. Those of us who are not Aboriginal need to understand the complex relationship between settler Australians and the people of the land.
Adam Goodes continues to demonstrate through dignity and presence of mind, that he is an empowered Aboriginal man.
AAP Image/Paul Miller
Adam Goodes' actions – from his celebratory dance to his decision to temporarily withdraw from the AFL – epitomise the concept of male Indigenous dignity.
Senator David Leyonhjelm has said he is not taking sides in the debate, saying only that anthropologists disagree.
AAP Image/Lukas Coch
