Teaching the Australian Wars: A Night of Truth-Telling and Collective Reflection

(From L > R): Rachel Perkins, Marcia Langton, Bill Lewis, Belinda Duarte, Professor Melitta Hogarth & Professor Marek Tesar (Dean of Education at the University of Melbourne)

Held at the University of Melbourne and streamed nationally, the Teaching the Australian Wars panel brought together celebrated filmmaker Rachel Perkins, leading academic and advocate Professor Marcia Langton, Culture is Life CEO Belinda Duarte, and senior secondary history teacher Bill Lewis. The event was hosted by Dr Melitta Hogarth from Ngarrngga, who opened the evening by grounding the conversation in local context—referring to a concrete slab at the nearby intersection of Franklin and Victoria Streets, etched with the names of two Tasmanian Aboriginal men. The slab stands as a memorial to the first two people publicly hanged after being judged for their involvement in guerrilla warfare. It was a powerful reminder of the importance of connecting national truths to local stories.

With around 150 attendees joining both in person and online, the evening invited educators, academics, community members and pre-service teachers to engage deeply with the ongoing impacts of frontier conflict and the urgent need for this history to be taught in schools. As Rachel Perkins shared, “We wanted to call it The Australian Wars because it’s part of the Australian history and this nation. I encourage people to take it on because it is our story and it’s defined our history in many ways. It’s part of who we are as Australians.”

The panel explored the power of Aboriginal-led resources in classrooms, highlighting how The Australian Wars documentary series is enabling teachers to feel more confident in delivering content through an Indigenous lens. Teacher Bill Lewis reflected, “Educators need to have confidence that the stories are told from an Indigenous perspective… When you show clips from the resources it’s an opportunity to show Indigenous voices and perspectives.”

The discussion didn’t shy away from difficult truths. Professor Marcia Langton reminded us that “Everybody knows about the ANZACs. But not many people know about the Myall Creek massacre, the only successful conviction of British subjects murdering Aboriginal people.” These stories must become essential knowledge for all Australians.

For many in the room, the evening reaffirmed the importance of truth-telling in our education systems and our shared responsibility to teach this history with integrity. “I’m a history teacher. It’s self-evident that my job should be truth-telling,” said Lewis. “If this is not being taught in Year 9 at your school, then why not? This is history that must be taught. This is the history of our nation.”

The feedback from attendees echoed the panel’s powerful messages. Survey results showed that many participants valued the mix of voices, lived experience, and personal connection on the panel, with one group sharing they “felt invigorated to make further changes to [their] curriculum.” Others expressed a renewed sense of responsibility, with 81% agreeing the event created a safe space to discuss a difficult topic and increased their confidence to teach it. An overwhelming 91% said the panel gave them renewed motivation to bring this history into their classrooms.

We were honoured to have special guests join the event, including Shelley Ware—who led the development of the original education resources—and Professor (Aunty) Yalmay Marika-Yunupiŋu, among others. Their presence was a reminder of the strength and generosity of community that underpins this work.

As the campaign sharpens its focus on high school settings, events like this continue to shape how we understand and teach Australia’s true history. As Rachel Perkins powerfully said, “If it wasn’t upsetting, we would have failed in our storytelling… If you leave it to somebody else, then it might not get told.”

If you missed the event, you can watch the full discussion on Ngarrngga.

Education resources are available here 

To watch The Australian Wars series at home visit SBS On Demand. For classroom access, see ClickView.